Macromolecules

Summary

This educational video script delves into the world of biomolecules, essential for life and often referred to as macromolecules. It introduces four main types: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, each playing a critical role in our bodies and diets. The script explains that each biomolecule is composed of smaller units like monosaccharides, glycerol and fatty acids, amino acids, and nucleotides. It also touches on the functions of these molecules, such as energy storage, structural components, and genetic information transmission, providing a foundational understanding of biology.

Takeaways

• 🧬 Biomolecules, also known as macromolecules, are large molecules essential for life and can have multiple names.
• 🍚 The four main types of biomolecules are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, which are also found in food.
• 🔑 Monosaccharides are the monomers that make up carbohydrates, glycerol and fatty acids make up lipids, amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and nucleotides form nucleic acids.
• 🏃‍♂️ Carbohydrates serve as a quick energy source and are also part of the structural component in plants, like cellulose, and as storage in the form of starch and glycogen.
• 💧 Lipids are hydrophobic and diverse, including fats and oils, and play roles in cell membrane structure, long-term energy storage, insulation, and hormone production.
• 🧬 Nucleic acids, with nucleotides as their monomers, are the genetic blueprint of all living things, including DNA and RNA, which store and transmit genetic information.
• 🥚 Proteins, made up of amino acids, are crucial for the body's structure, catalyzing chemical reactions, transport and communication, and defense mechanisms.
• 🔋 Proteins have multiple functions, including being a structural component, aiding in chemical reactions, and providing immunity through antibodies.
• 🌿 The elements that make up biomolecules are carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O), with proteins also containing nitrogen (N) and nucleic acids containing phosphorus (P).
• 🔑 The sequence of nucleotides in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids in proteins, which dictates the protein's function.

Q & A

What are biomolecules and why are they important for life?

Biomolecules are large molecules, also known as macromolecules, that are essential for life. They are crucial because they are the building blocks of living organisms, performing various functions necessary for growth, maintenance, and reproduction.

What are the four main types of biomolecules?

The four main types of biomolecules are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Each plays a distinct role in the structure, function, and regulation of living organisms.

How are lipids related to fats and how do they function in the body?

Lipids, often referred to as fats, are hydrophobic biomolecules that are diverse and include fats, oils, triglycerides, phospholipids, and steroids. In the body, they serve as structural components of cell membranes, provide long-term energy storage, offer insulation, and are involved in hormone production and chemical messaging.

What is the monomer of carbohydrates and what is its role?

The monomer of carbohydrates is monosaccharides, which are simple sugars like glucose. They serve as a quick energy source for the body, are part of the structural component in plants, and can be stored as starch in plants and glycogen in animals.

What is the significance of nucleic acids in living organisms?

Nucleic acids, with their monomer being nucleotides, are the genetic blueprint of living organisms. They are found in all living things and include DNA and RNA, which store and transmit genetic information and instruct cells on what to do.

How do nucleic acids contribute to the formation of proteins?

Nucleic acids, particularly the sequence of nucleotides in DNA, contain the instructions for making proteins. The arrangement of nucleotides determines the sequence of amino acids in proteins, which in turn dictates the type and function of the protein.

What are the basic elements that make up biomolecules?

The basic elements that make up biomolecules include carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O). Proteins also contain nitrogen (N), and nucleic acids include phosphorus (P) in addition to the other elements.

What is the role of proteins in the body and what are their monomers?

Proteins are essential for the body as they have multiple functions including structural support, catalyzing chemical reactions, transporting and communicating information, and providing defense through antibodies. Their monomers are amino acids.

How does the term 'macros' relate to both diet and biomolecules?

The term 'macros' is used in both dietary contexts and to describe biomolecules. In diet, 'macros' refers to macronutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that are needed in large amounts. In the context of biomolecules, 'macromolecules' refers to large molecules like carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

What is the significance of the term 'monomer' in the context of biomolecules?

A monomer is the basic building block or subunit of a polymer. In the context of biomolecules, each type of biomolecule is made up of specific monomers: carbohydrates from monosaccharides, lipids from glycerol and fatty acids, proteins from amino acids, and nucleic acids from nucleotides.

Why is it important to understand the different names for biomolecules?

Understanding the different names for biomolecules is important because it helps in recognizing the versatility and interconnectedness of scientific concepts. It also aids in communication across different scientific disciplines and in everyday contexts, such as understanding dietary recommendations.

Outlines

00:00

🔬 Introduction to Biomolecules

This paragraph introduces biomolecules, emphasizing their importance in life as large molecules also known as macromolecules. It highlights the flexibility in terminology and the four main types of biomolecules: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. These are connected to everyday concepts like food and fitness, with a focus on the monomers that constitute each biomolecule: monosaccharides for carbohydrates, glycerol and fatty acids for lipids, amino acids for proteins, and nucleotides for nucleic acids. The speaker encourages note-taking to reinforce learning.

05:06

🍚 Carbohydrates and Lipids

The second paragraph delves into the roles of carbohydrates and lipids. Carbohydrates serve as a quick energy source, exemplified by glucose found in various foods, and are essential for energy-intensive activities. Lipids, being hydrophobic, form the cell membrane structure and provide long-term energy storage, insulation, and are involved in hormone production and chemical messaging. The paragraph also clarifies the difference between the terms 'macromolecules' and 'biomolecules' and their presence in food.

10:09

🧬 Nucleic Acids and Proteins

This section introduces nucleic acids as the genetic blueprint of life, composed of nucleotides, and includes DNA and RNA. It explains their function in storing and transmitting genetic information and directing cellular activities. Proteins, made up of amino acids, are highlighted for their diverse functions, including structural support, catalyzing chemical reactions, and playing roles in transport, communication, and defense within the body. The connection between nucleic acids and proteins is established, where the sequence of nucleotides in DNA dictates the sequence of amino acids in proteins.

15:10

🌿 Nucleic Acids in Living Things

The fourth paragraph reinforces that nucleic acids are present in all living organisms, including the food we eat. It distinguishes between nucleic acids and proteins, despite their similar names, and provides examples of foods rich in proteins. The paragraph also discusses the elemental composition of biomolecules, focusing on the common elements carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O), with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) present in proteins and nucleic acids, respectively. The importance of understanding the structure and function of biomolecules in biological systems is emphasized.

20:11

📝 Summary and Reflection

The final paragraph encourages a brief summary or reflection on new insights gained from the discussion about biomolecules. It prompts for a concise one to two-sentence summary, highlighting the importance of understanding the basics of biomolecules for further study in biology.

Keywords

💡Biomolecules

Biomolecules are large molecules that are crucial for life processes. They are also referred to as macromolecules. In the video, biomolecules are discussed as essential components of living organisms, including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. These molecules are the building blocks of life, and understanding them is key to grasping biological functions.

💡Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are biomolecules consisting of monosaccharides. They serve as a quick energy source for the body, as exemplified by glucose, which is found in bread, pasta, fruits, and vegetables. The video mentions 'carb loading' as a strategy used by athletes to maximize their energy reserves for competitions.

💡Lipids

Lipids, often called fats, are hydrophobic biomolecules that do not mix well with water. They are diverse and include fats, oils, triglycerides, phospholipids, and steroids. The video explains that lipids are important for cell membrane structure, energy storage, insulation, and hormone production.

💡Proteins

Proteins are biomolecules made up of amino acids. They are essential for the body due to their multiple functions, including structural support in tissues like muscles and hair, catalyzing chemical reactions as enzymes, transporting molecules, and providing immunity through antibodies. The video emphasizes proteins' role in constructing the body's structural components and facilitating various biochemical processes.

💡Nucleic Acids

Nucleic acids, which include DNA and RNA, are biomolecules composed of nucleotides. They are described in the video as the genetic blueprint of living organisms, responsible for storing and transmitting genetic information. Nucleic acids guide the synthesis of proteins, which are vital for the structure and function of cells.

💡Monomers

Monomers are the small molecules that polymerize to form larger biomolecules. Each type of biomolecule has its specific monomer: monosaccharides for carbohydrates, glycerol and fatty acids for lipids, amino acids for proteins, and nucleotides for nucleic acids. The video uses the analogy of Legos to explain how monomers assemble into complex biomolecules.

💡Macromolecules

Macromolecules are large molecules, often polymers, that are essential for life. The term is used interchangeably with biomolecules in the video, emphasizing their size and importance in biological systems. Examples include proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids.

💡Hydrophobic

Hydrophobic refers to molecules that repel water, as discussed in relation to lipids in the video. This property is crucial for lipids' roles in cell membrane structure and energy storage, as it allows them to form a barrier that prevents the mixing of water and cell contents.

💡Genetic Blueprint

The genetic blueprint is a term used in the video to describe the role of nucleic acids in storing and transmitting genetic information. DNA and RNA are the carriers of this blueprint, which dictates the traits and functions of living organisms.

💡Amino Acids

Amino acids are the monomers that make up proteins. The sequence of amino acids determines the protein's structure and function, as explained in the video. They are the building blocks for a vast array of proteins that perform different roles within the body.

💡Nucleotides

Nucleotides are the monomers of nucleic acids, consisting of a sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base. In the video, nucleotides are highlighted as the basic units that form DNA and RNA, which are essential for encoding genetic information.

Highlights

Biomolecules, also known as macromolecules, are large molecules essential for life.

There are four main types of biomolecules: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Carbohydrates and proteins are often associated with food, while lipids, or fats, are also considered a type of food.

Each biomolecule is composed of smaller monomers: monosaccharides for carbohydrates, glycerol and fatty acids for lipids, amino acids for proteins, and nucleotides for nucleic acids.

Carbohydrates serve as a quick energy source and are found in foods like bread, pasta, fruits, and vegetables.

Lipids are hydrophobic and include fats, oils, triglycerides, phospholipids, and steroids.

Phospholipids form the cell membrane structure, known as the phospholipid bilayer.

Lipids also function as long-term energy storage, insulation, and are involved in hormone production and chemical messaging.

Nucleic acids, with nucleotides as their monomers, are the genetic blueprint of all living things, including DNA and RNA.

Proteins, made up of amino acids, are essential for the body's structure, catalyzing chemical reactions, and various other functions.

Nucleic acids contain instructions for making proteins, with the sequence of nucleotides in DNA determining the sequence of amino acids in proteins.

Proteins are found in foods like beans, meat, nuts, and eggs, and are crucial for various bodily functions.

The elements that make up biomolecules are carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O), with proteins also containing nitrogen (N) and nucleic acids also containing phosphorus (P).

The mnemonic 'Cho Cho CH Chomp' is introduced to help remember the elements in carbohydrates (CHO), lipids (CHO), proteins (CHON), and nucleic acids (CHONP).

Nucleic acids are found in all living things, meaning that any food derived from living organisms contains DNA and RNA.

Proteins have a variety of functions in the body, including structural support, catalyzing chemical reactions, and immune response.

The arrangement of nucleotides in nucleic acids dictates the arrangement of amino acids in proteins, which in turn determines the protein's function.

Transcripts

um do your best to just get familiar

with these terms and that will help you

as we're going through this entire year

so biomolecules are large molecules

needed for Life they're also known as

macro molecules which is what we called

them in our last um last little video

that we learned but they can also be

called biomolecules so get flexible with

the way you hear things um that's kind

of how our world works there's always

two names for things it seems and so

just being flexible with that and maybe

making a note to yourself that

biomolecule Macro Molecule same sort of

thing um there's four main types we

talked about carbohydrates and lipids

last time um but there's also proteins

and nucleic acids and all of these

things hopefully if you're hearing about

them they kind of start to sound a

little bit like food right um

carbohydrates and proteins particularly

lipids are also called fats so that also

you can think of as Foods as well

um and a lot of times people that are um

who like to go to the gym or really are

healthc conscious a lot of times they'll

they'll tell you that they're they're

counting their macros and so just like

in this word right here when they're

saying they're counting their macros

they're talking about

counting these types of foods that are

in their diet their macros in their diet

okay um just to make that little

connection So within each one of these

bio

molecules carbohydrates lipids proteins

nucleic acids within each of them

there's smaller things that build them

up okay so like Legos that build

together to make bigger things right um

inside each of these there's smaller

pieces to build up to make that bigger

thing so um each

biomolecule has its own type of monomer

so carbohydrates have monosaccharides

lipids most of the time it's glycerol

and fatty acids proteins are amino acids

and nucleic acids are going to be

nucleotides so let's pop over here and

take a few notes so we have make sure to

put your title okay it should say

biology a watch and take notes macro

molecules continued is the title

completely like that and then put your

name you don't have to put name in the

semicolon just go ahead and put your

name so

I'm going to first start by taking a

note

that bio

molecule is the same as

Macro

Molecule okay bio is just life right um

macro is Big so life molecules or big

molecules just kind of like the one and

the same um so these are

carbohydrates

lipids nucleic

acids and

proteins all right

and then I'm just going to put a little

note that these are found in

food this is how we get each of these

things above is through our food okay um

and each of these is made up

of I'm just going to put a little

arrow these bio molecules are made up of

macro

molecules sorry wrong word I'm reading

the thing above made up of

monomers okay so for

carbohydrates it's going to be

monosaccharides mono meaning one

saccharide has to do with

sugars we have

lipids which are made up of

glycerol and fatty acids

then we have

proteins which are made up of amino

acids some of you may have heard of when

you um when you're eating things you're

trying to get a complete amino acid so

if you just eat beans that's not a

complete protein on its own but beans

and rice together make a complete amino

acid um so you may have heard that

before if not that's okay just something

to

note and then we have nucleic acids

which are their monomer is nucleotides

okay I think we're ready to move on so

we're just going to take a quick

overview of the two we've already gone

over so we have

carbohydrates they are the energy and

the structure okay so we have the

monomer for carbohydrates is a mono is

monosaccharides so an example of this

would be glucose and glucose is a type

of sugar right uh it's found in bread

pasta fruits and vegetables and

carbohydrates are our quick energy

source they

are how we are getting energy quickly

into our body um sometimes people that

are runners or maybe on like a track

across country team they'll have

something called a carbal loading party

and they eat a bunch of pasta and bread

and foods that are high in

carbohydrates so that when they compete

in their race that next day they have a

bunch of quick energy available in their

body to help sustain their run um

carbohydrates also can be part of the

structural component of um for example

cellulose in

Plants a plant's cell walls uh so

they're providing structure they can

also be storage of energy so we have

starch in plants and glycogen in

animals then we have our lipids

which

are hydrophobic meaning that they do not

like water that's why we're going to say

they're waterers shy and they're also

very diverse because um they aren't just

going to be fat and that's it so we have

it includes fats and oils generally

hydrophobic meaning it doesn't like

water so if you've ever tried to mix oil

and water together and shaken it up

they'll mix for a moment but then if you

give it some time they'll separate right

back out so we have triglycerides

phospholipid lipids and steroids are

some types of lipids and what they do is

they help one of the things that they do

actually sorry me backup one of the

things is they are the cell

memane woo my tongue can't make the

words work right now they are the cell

membrane structure so as we are working

through in our next unit when we start

talking about cells we're going to be

talking about this phospholipid bilayer

and so what that is

is a layer around the cell that is made

up of lipids it's made up of fats okay

um it also is long-term energy storage

and it can be also insulation so in

neurons and things like um cells in our

brain that are are sending and receiving

information um there might be a they not

might there is there's a milin sheath

over part of the neuron so it's

basically like this little fat encasing

on it that helps make signals go quicker

um it's also insulation like fat on

maybe an animal's body or maybe on our

bodies right so if we have more um lipid

on us more fat on us we're actually

going to be more insulated and

warmer um it also

can be um included in hormones and

chemical messaging

messaging my tongue is not working

today all right so now we're going to go

into the two new ones and then we'll

take notes about our two new ones um if

you would like to take down some notes

because you feel like you didn't get a

lot out of um the video you did

on last week hopefully um you're welcome

to go ahead and pop over here and you

can add in a few little notes about your

carbohydrates and your lipids but I'm

going to move on to nucleic acids so we

have nucleic acids which are we're going

to call them the genetic blueprint their

monomer is a nucleotide so the thing

that makes up nucleic acids are Nu

nucleotides we're not going to go too in

depth on this because we will really

talk about nucleic acids later but they

are found in all living things and part

of nucleic acids really it's DNA and RNA

which if you've heard DNA and RNA before

those are the genetic material that

makes up all of us and um nucleic acids

their function is to store and transmit

genetic information hence the DNA and

RNA so hence this right here that's the

storing and transmitting genetic

information and they also tell cells

what to do so they're kind of like the

um the PowerHouse that's saying hey you

need to create this over here and so

these nucleic acids actually bring us to

our next piece here which is our protein

so nucleic acids help

create proteins

yes so the the nucleotides the sequence

of the nucleotides which if we go back

um the nucleotides are the mon s that

make up the nucleic acid so the sequence

of the

nucleotides in the DNA tells us what the

sequence of the amino acids will be in

proteins so

basically the nucleic acids are helping

tell what proteins to make okay proteins

are something you've probably heard of

before because it is such a common word

in our food world and so proteins are

things like beans meat nuts eggs and

they're monomer the thing that makes Pro

up proteins are amino acids and proteins

are super essential to our bodies

because they have so many different

functions so one of the functions one of

the functions of proteins is that they

are a major part of structural

components of things so like muscle

tissue and hair and collagen all require

protein um to create their structure

they also proteins also help in

catalyzing chemical reactions so they

help with um creating enzymes that help

catalyze chemical reactions so things

that are happening within our body

proteins can also

transport and communicate information in

our body so in our cell membrane

channels and different receptors in our

body and they also help in defense and

giving antibodies to

us so just thinking about back at our

beginning when we started talking of the

different

elements in our bodies once again we

have those elements coming back okay so

we have carbohy or the the way that

you're going to kind of remember this is

Cho Cho CH Chomp but Chomp with an n not

an M okay and so carbohydrates are Cho

carbon hydrogen oxygen lipids are Cho

carbon hydrogen oxygen proteins are

Chan carbon hydrogen oxygen nitrogen and

then nucleic acids are Chomp so they

have all of the elements above now there

might be some other elements within each

of these but the major elements are what

we have here okay so let's go ahead and

take take a few

notes about nucleic

acids so I'm going to put over here we

have nucleic

acids and I'm going to

put the monomer I know we put it right

here but I'm going to do it

again

nule tiddes sometimes I find find if I

write things multiple times it helps it

stick it in my brain even better so even

though we just wrote it writing it again

and saying it out to ourselves can just

help us make those connections so it's

monomer's nucleotides and it's found in

all living things it's meaning nucleic

acid so nucleic acids are

found in

all living

things and we're going to put

DNA and

RNA so super

important and next we're going to put

proteins and I'm going put that their

monomer is amino acids

not to be confused with nucleic acids

because they sound very similar but

they're not exactly the same

thing and found

in

beans

meat

nuts and

eggs as some examples and real quick to

jump back over to

our nucleic acids here um they found in

all living things meaning that when you

eat something that was once living it

does have DNA and RNA in it which gives

you your nucleic acids okay so um if

you're thinking like well I've never

seen nucleic acids on the back of this

food box when I'm looking at the

ingredients it doesn't tell me the

nucleic acids the nucleic acids are in

the living pieces of that food so if it

is maybe like a smoothie and the

Smoothie has some spinach in it or it

has some mango or

whatever delicious things you want to

put in your smoothie those pieces would

have nucleic acids in them okay so the

spinach or the mango or whatever was

living inside of it um has the nucleic

acids in it okay um for going back to

proteins I'm just going to put many

function

proteins

are something that is very important for

our body so the DNA and

RNA from our nucleic acids contain the

instructions for making the proteins so

I'm going to

put these two and then I'm going put a

little arrow and put contain

instructions

to

make and then I'm going to do another

arrow so contain instructions to make

proteins um so the sequence of the

nucleotides in DNA determines the

sequence of amino acids in a

protein so the

things how these nucleotides are

arranged determines

how the amino acids are arranged which

determines the type of protein okay so

the

nucleotides that then make up the

nucleic

acids tell the protein amino acids how

to be arrange which then tells the type

of protein which then tells what type of

function it's going to do okay so based

on what how the protein is made up

that's going to say what type of

function it has all right l ments in

these biomolecules so I'm going to do a

shorthand so

carbs is c h if you don't remember what

CH and o mean then make a little note

off to your off to the side for yourself

okay um then we have lipids so remember

lipids are fats we have ch we have

proteins we have c h o

n and then we have

nuate

acids c h o n and

p all right the bottom here I'm just

going to write it but you can just

respond to it

um so I want you to just do a quick

summary like one sentence

of

something new you

learned or like some aha moment you had

so only like one to two

sentences don't make it super long