BIOMOLECULE

• More than 90% of the human body weight is provided by only three elements: oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen.
• There are 20 standard amino acids that serve as the building blocks of proteins.
• These elements are primarily obtained from the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we inhale around us.
• Biogeochemical cycles such as the carbon-oxygen cycle and the water cycle play important roles in ensuring that we have access to these elements.
• Nutrients are important for cell growth, cell division, metabolism, repair, and maintenance of the body.
• Nutrients can be classified as either organic nutrients or inorganic nutrients.
• Organic nutrients contain carbon and hydrogen such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and nucleic acids.
• Inorganic nutrients do not contain carbon and hydrogen such as water and mineral salts.
• Carbohydrates are organic compounds made up of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms.
• The basic building blocks of carbohydrates are simple sugars or monosaccharides.
• The general formula for monosaccharides is often represented as (CH2O)n, where "n" is the number of carbon atoms.
• Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose which is a type of sugar our cells need for energy.
• Carbohydrates can be classified into Monosaccharides, Disaccharides, and Polysaccharides.
• Lipids are a diverse group of organic compounds that are insoluble in water but soluble in nonpolar solvents, such as ether and chloroform.
• Lipids can be divided into three main classes according to differences in structure and function.
• Triglycerides are the most common type of lipid and serve as a primary form of energy storage in cells.
• Triglycerides also help in Insulation and Temperature Regulation, and Organ Protection.
• An anticodon is a sequence of three nucleotides in tRNA that is complementary to a specific mRNA codon.
• A codon is a sequence of three nucleotides in mRNA that codes for a specific amino acid or serves as a signal for the initiation or termination of protein synthesis.
• The bent structure of fats prevents close packing and results in oils or fats that are liquid at room temperature.
• Industries have developed a process called Hydrogenation that converts unsaturated fats into saturated fats to improve texture and spreadability.
• Cholesterol found in cell membranes regulates the rigidity of the cell membrane and are the base material for the production of sex hormones like estradiol and progesterone.
• tRNA functions as an adaptor molecule, ensuring that the correct amino acid is brought to the ribosome during translation, a process that requires energy provided by the charged tRNA molecules.
• The mRNA enters the smaller subunit which is then held by the tRNA molecules of the complementary codon present in the larger subunit, forming a peptide bond between them as this process repeats, long polypeptide chains of amino acids are synthesized.
• Steroids and sterols regulate the fluidity of cell membranes and are the base of sex hormones.
• There are three types of RNA: mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA, each carrying the genetic information from DNA in the cell nucleus to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm, where proteins are synthesized.
• Trans Fat is a type of unsaturated fat that are unique in their chemical structure and are formed through a process called partial hydrogenation, in which hydrogen atoms are added to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid at room temperature.
• Phospholipids have a unique structure that includes both hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (water-repelling) regions, making them amphipathic.
• mRNA is a type of RNA that plays a fundamental role in the process of protein synthesis.
• Saturated Fat products such as butter and lard have a lot of saturated fatty acids.
• The linear structure of saturated fats allows for the close packing of the fat molecules forming solids at room temperature, diets high in these fats may increase the risk of developing atherosclerosis.
• Unsaturated Fat plant and fish oils have unsaturated fatty acids.