Functions of each biochemical compound...?

1 ANSWERS

1. amomipais82
   

   Hi,
   
   Glucose:
   
   Glucose (Glc), a simple sugar (monosaccharide) also known as grape sugar, blood sugar, or corn sugar, is an important carbohydrate  in biology. Cells use it as a source of energy and metabolic intermediate. Glucose is one of the main products of photosynthesis and starts cellular respiration in both prokaryotes  (bacteria  and archaea) and eukaryotes  (animals, plants, fungi, and protists). Starch  and cellulose  are complex sugars and polymers of glucose.
   
   The name "glucose" comes from the Greek word glukus (γλυκύς), meaning "sweet", and the suffix "-ose," which denotes a sugar.
   
   The glucose molecule exists in two mirror-image (stereoisomer) forms, only one of which, the right-handed form (D-glucose), plays a major role in biology. D-glucose is often referred to as dextrose monohydrate, or, especially in the food industry, simply dextrose (from dextrorotatory glucose , turning polarized light to the right; from Latin dexter, "right" ). This article deals with the D-form of glucose. The mirror-image of the molecule, L-glucose, cannot be metabolized by cells in the biochemical process known as glycolysis.
   
   MALTOSE:
   
   Maltose, or malt sugar, is a disaccharide  formed from two units of glucose joined with an α(1→4)bond. The isomer isomaltose has two glucose molecules linked through an α(1→6) bond. Maltose is the second member of an important biochemical series of glucose chains. Maltose is the disaccharide produced when amylase breaks down starch. It is found in germinating seeds such as Barley as they break down their starch stores to use for food.
   
   The addition of another glucose unit yields maltotriose; further additions will produce dextrins (also called maltodextrins) and eventually starch (glucose polymer).
   
   Maltose can be broken down into two glucose molecules by hydrolysis. In living organisms, the enzyme maltase can achieve this very rapidly. In the laboratory, heating with a strong acid for several minutes will produce the same result. Isomaltose is broken by isomaltase.
   
   The production of maltose from germinating cereals, such as barley, is an important part of the brewing process. When barley is malted, it is brought into a condition in which the concentration of maltose-producing amylases has been maximized. Mashing is the process by which these amylases convert the cereal's starches into maltose. Metabolism of maltose by yeast during fermentation then leads to the production of ethanol and carbon dioxide.
   
   A FAT MOLECULE:
   
   Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are generally triesters of glycerol  and fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure and composition. Although the words "oils", "fats", and "lipids" are all used to refer to fats, "oils" is usually used to refer to fats that are liquids at normal room temperature, while "fats" is usually used to refer to fats that are solids at normal room temperature. "Lipids" is used to refer to both liquid and solid fats, along with other related substances. The word "oil" is used for any substance that does not mix with water and has a greasy feel, such as petroleum  (or crude oil) and heating oil, regardless of its chemical structure.
   
   Fats form a category of lipid, distinguished from other lipids by their chemical structure and physical properties. This category of molecules is important for many forms of life, serving both structural and metabolic functions. They are an important part of the diet of most heterotrophs (including humans). Fats or lipids are broken down in the body by enzymes called lipases produced in the pancreas.
   
   Examples of edible animal fats are lard (pig fat), fish oil, and butter or ghee. They are obtained from fats in the milk, meat and under the skin of the animal. Examples of edible plant fats are peanut, soya bean, sunflower, sesame, coconut, olive, and vegetable oils. Margarine and vegetable shortening, which can be derived from the above oils, are used mainly for baking. These examples of fats can be categorized into saturated fats and unsaturated fats.
   
   DIPEPTIDE:
   
   dipeptide is a molecule consisting of two amino acids joined by a single peptide bond.
   
   Dipeptides are produced from polypeptides by the action of the hydrolase enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase. Dietary proteins are digested to dipeptides and amino acids, and the dipeptides are absorbed more rapidly than the amino acids, because their uptake involves a separate mechanism. Dipeptides activate G-cells found in the stomach to secrete gastrin.
   
   The Bergmann azlactone peptide synthesis is a classic organic synthesis for the preparation of dipeptides.
   
   DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID:
   
   Deoxyribonucleic acid (en-us-Deoxyribonucleic_acid.ogg /diˈɒksɪˈraɪboʊnuˈkliɪk ˈæsɪd/ (help·info)) (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic  instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms  and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information. DNA is often compared to a set of blueprints  or a recipe, or a code, since it contains the instructions needed to construct other components of cells, such as proteins  and RNA molecules. The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in regulating the use of this genetic information.
   
   Chemically, DNA consists of two long polymers of simple units called nucleotides, with backbones made of sugars and phosphate groups joined by ester bonds. These two strands run in opposite directions to each other and are therefore anti-parallel. Attached to each sugar is one of four types of molecules called bases. It is the sequence of these four bases along the backbone that encodes information. This information is read using the genetic code, which specifies the sequence of the amino acids within proteins. The code is read by copying stretches of DNA into the related nucleic acid RNA, in a process called transcription.
   
   Within cells, DNA is organized into long structures called chromosomes. These chromosomes are duplicated before cells divide, in a process called DNA replication. Eukaryotic organisms (animals, plants, fungi, and protists) store most of their DNA inside the cell nucleus and some of their DNA in organelles, such as mitochondria or chloroplasts.In contrast, prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) store their DNA only in the cytoplasm. Within the chromosomes, chromatin proteins such as histones compact and organize DNA. These compact structures guide the interactions between DNA and other proteins, helping control which parts of the DNA are transcribed.
   
   
   Hope it helps

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