Biomolecules Case Study

Section One: Biomolecules

1. The major biological molecules are carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. The general structure for carbohydrates is CH2O. An example of carbohydrates would be glucose. As human’s glucose is important to normal function that the liver and muscle cells store a certain amount of it for when blood glucose levels start to run low. A protein structure is a 3-dimensional arrangement of atoms in a protein molecule. The primary structure is held together by peptide bonds. Every cell in the human body contains proteins. An example of a protein is a membrane transport protein.

Lipids are fatty acids. Lipids produce energy for your hormones. We wouldn’t be able to digest or absorb food properly without them.

I am personally not against vegetarians. I think being a vegetarian is a good idea because having a healthier diet can prevent disease and other improvements. Your biomolecules affected in a positive way. Being vegetarian can give you more energy and endurance. By being vegetarian, you avoid all the toxic things that are put into everyday meat. Humans are designed to be vegetarian. Our teeth are designed for eating veggies and grains. Our hands are designed for gathering our food not tearing it apart. Our saliva contains the enzyme alpha-amylase, the purpose to digest the complex carbohydrates in plant foods. Being a vegetarian can result in having lower cholesterol, being thinner, having lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of heart

A cell membrane is like a cell’s gate keeper. It is the outer layer that surrounds the cell, letting substances in our keeping them out. The cell membrane controls what comes in the cell and keeps out the bad substances. Passive transport is why the cells need to transport substances. Active transport needs to pass through the cell membrane. The cell must expand energy. Some carrier proteins can do this. They bind particles on their active site and release them to the other side of the membrane. The cell must provide energy to have this happen. Passive transport (diffusion) substances pass through small holes in the surface cell membrane. This does not require the cell to expand energy. Passive transport (facilitated diffusion) some particles are helped through the membrane. Facilitators are carrier proteins. These have specific binding sites for the substances being transported. Water diffusion is called osmosis. Oxygen is a small molecule and it’s nonpolar, it easily passes through the cell membrane. An example of active transport would be an uptake of glucose in the intestines in