Everything You Need to Know About Macromolecules and Enzymes & what they are?

Many scientists know that carbon is the backbone of life. But did you know what compounds that contain carbon are called organic, these large organic molecules form macromolecules.

Carbon makes up the backbone of the four major macromolecules. Although their are a large number of different carbon compounds that exist, each compound has a different structure. Inside each of these cells are thousands of different macromolecules that help form a variety of specialized cells structures to carry out cellular functions. A few of these functions include energy production, waste disposal, transportation of nutrients and synthesis of new molecules.

These main components of a living cell go on to create macromolecules. These large organic molecules called polymers, are made up of smaller building blocks called monomers. The four types of macromolecules are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Our food contains polymers. We digest those into monomers so we can absorb them. We then use those monomers for energy or to help build our own polymers that our body needs.

Now we will discuss our first macromolecule more in-depth. Our first macromolecule is carbohydrate, these molecules help provide short-term energy or they help be the main source of energy. The monomer of carbohydrates are called monosaccharides. They consist of one sugar unit which is used as a source of energy. Some examples of monomers are Glucose, Galactose and Fructose. The polymers of carbohydrates are called polysaccharides. They consist of many sugar units and make up the large molecules found in food. Some examples of polymers are starch and cellulose.

Our second macromolecule we will take a in-depth look at is lipids. Some functions of lipids include long term energy storage, insulation, protection against water loss and germs and they are a major component in membranes. The monomer of lipids is made up of two parts, they are made up of glycerol and fatty acids. The polymers of lipids are made up of long chains of fatty acids that attached to glycerol. The two types of fatty acids are saturated fatty acids which are good and unsaturated fatty acids which are bad. Some examples of polymers include fats, oils, waxes and steroids.

Our third macromolecule that we will be looking at are proteins. A majority of the functions of proteins depend on the structure. The monomers of proteins are called amino acids, the amino acids join together to form proteins. The polymers of proteins are called polypeptides. A protein is a functional molecule built from one or more polypeptides. The only example of polymer is an enzyme.

An enzyme is a type of protein responsible for speeding up chemical reactions that take place in cells. A catalyst is a substance that speeds up the rate of chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy. Therefore, enzymes are biological catalysts and are responsible for many essential roles in chemical pathways, making materials that cells need, releasing energy and transferring information. The energy needed to start a reaction is called activation energy. Regardless of whether the overall reaction releases or absorbs energy, activation energy is involved.

The second part of enzymes that I will discuss are the structure and function. Like any protein, the shape of the enzyme is going to determine its function. Enzymes provide a site where substrates can bond together. This is known as the active site. The bond between the active site and the substrate is complementary and is often compared to a lock and a key.

Because the activity of an enzyme depends upon the structure of its active site, conditions that tend to change protein structure can affect the activity of the enzyme. Conditions like high temperature or extreme pH may weaken bonds, causing proteins to unfold and disrupting active site structures. Enzymes produced by human cells generally work best at temperatures that are at normal body temperature.

Now the final part of this article will discuss the final macromolecule, nucleic acids. The function of nucleic acids is to control cell activities like protein synthesis and make DNA and RNA. The monomer of nucleic acids consists of a sugar molecule, a phosphorus group and a nitrogenous base. Some examples of monomers include adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine. The polymer of nucleic acids are DNA and RNA, both of which are composed of long chains of nucleotides. DNA consists of two long strands of nucleic acids and RNA consists of one long strand of nucleic acids.

In conclusion, I hope you all learned something about macromolecules and enzymes and why they play such a big role in both biology and chemistry. As always, I hope you will enjoy more content that will coming in the following months.