Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Macromolecules
Professor DeBacco
Overview of Biological Macromolecules
Four major classes: Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, Nucleic_Acids
Polymers composed of monomeric subunits (except lipids).
Biological polymers exhibit directionality, influencing folding, catalysis, and interactions.
Central theme: structure determines function across all macromolecular classes.
Polymer Chemistry: Dehydration and Hydrolysis
Dehydration synthesis: removal of water to form covalent bonds
enzymatically catalyzed.
Hydrolysis: cleavage of covalent bonds using water
essential during digestion.
Energetics:
dehydration is endergonic
hydrolysis is exergonic.
Directionality:
polymer extension occurs at specific ends (ex. 3’ OH in nucleic acids and C‑terminus in proteins).
Nucleic Acids
Nucleic Acid Overview
Function: store, transmit, and express hereditary information.
DNA vs RNA: deoxyribose vs ribose; thymine vs uracil.
Nucleotides: sugar + phosphate + nitrogenous base.
Nucleic Acids: Molecular Foundations of Genetic Information
Nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) are information‑bearing biopolymers whose chemical structure enables heredity, regulated gene expression, and evolutionary change.
DNA stores genetic information in a chemically stable, double‑helical polymer protected by deoxyribose and base stacking.
Carbohydrates Overview
Functions:
Primary energy sources and energy storage
Structural scaffolds (cell walls, ECM)
Recognition signals in cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions
Components of nucleic acids, glycoproteins, glycolipids, proteoglycans
Chemistry dominated by carbonyl + hydroxyl group reactivity
Diversity arises from linear/cyclic forms, stereoisomerism, and glycosidic bond polymerization
Graduate‑level understanding integrates stereochemistry, conformational dynamics, thermodynamics, enzyme specificity, and physiological regulation
Proteins: Overview
Most versatile and abundant macromolecules (~50% of cell dry mass)
Execute majority of biological work: catalysis, structure, signaling, transport, defense
Proteome = complete protein set expressed by a genome
Diversity arises from:
Sequence variation
Post‑translational modifications (PTMs)
Alternative splicing
Conformational dynamics
Synthesized as linear amino‑acid polymers via translation of mRNA
Lipid Overview
Lipids are a diverse, non‑polymeric class of biomolecules unified by hydrophobicity or amphipathicity, not by a shared monomer structure.
Their low water solubility arises from long hydrocarbon chains or rings, driving the hydrophobic effect, a major force in biological self‑assembly.
Major classes:
Waxes
Fats
Phospholipids
Steroids
Additional: sphingolipids, glycolipids, prenols
Link to Lecture Slides: drive.google.com/file/d/1SZuAMvz3ufoql32IjXoAMM16KMCfa2cL/view?usp=drive_link
Due to the description character limit the full work cited for "Full Review of Macromolecules in Biology" can be viewed at... docs.google.com/document/d/17QWdhdNRSyS5jKtV25HDglJZV02s_dG_/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=104237452697237972847&rtpof=true&sd=true
Macromolecules
Professor DeBacco
Overview of Biological Macromolecules
Four major classes: Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, Nucleic_Acids
Polymers composed of monomeric subunits (except lipids).
Biological polymers exhibit directionality, influencing folding, catalysis, and interactions.
Central theme: structure determines function across all macromolecular classes.
Polymer Chemistry: Dehydration and Hydrolysis
Dehydration synthesis: removal of water to form covalent bonds
enzymatically catalyzed.
Hydrolysis: cleavage of covalent bonds using water
essential during digestion.
Energetics:
dehydration is endergonic
hydrolysis is exergonic.
Directionality:
polymer extension occurs at specific ends (ex. 3’ OH in nucleic acids and C‑terminus in proteins).
Nucleic Acids
Nucleic Acid Overview
Function: store, transmit, and express hereditary information.
DNA vs RNA: deoxyribose vs ribose; thymine vs uracil.
Nucleotides: sugar + phosphate + nitrogenous base.
Nucleic Acids: Molecular Foundations of Genetic Information
Nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) are information‑bearing biopolymers whose chemical structure enables heredity, regulated gene expression, and evolutionary change.
DNA stores genetic information in a chemically stable, double‑helical polymer protected by deoxyribose and base stacking.
Carbohydrates Overview
Functions:
Primary energy sources and energy storage
Structural scaffolds (cell walls, ECM)
Recognition signals in cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions
Components of nucleic acids, glycoproteins, glycolipids, proteoglycans
Chemistry dominated by carbonyl + hydroxyl group reactivity
Diversity arises from linear/cyclic forms, stereoisomerism, and glycosidic bond polymerization
Graduate‑level understanding integrates stereochemistry, conformational dynamics, thermodynamics, enzyme specificity, and physiological regulation
Proteins: Overview
Most versatile and abundant macromolecules (~50% of cell dry mass)
Execute majority of biological work: catalysis, structure, signaling, transport, defense
Proteome = complete protein set expressed by a genome
Diversity arises from:
Sequence variation
Post‑translational modifications (PTMs)
Alternative splicing
Conformational dynamics
Synthesized as linear amino‑acid polymers via translation of mRNA
Lipid Overview
Lipids are a diverse, non‑polymeric class of biomolecules unified by hydrophobicity or amphipathicity, not by a shared monomer structure.
Their low water solubility arises from long hydrocarbon chains or rings, driving the hydrophobic effect, a major force in biological self‑assembly.
Major classes:
Waxes
Fats
Phospholipids
Steroids
Additional: sphingolipids, glycolipids, prenols
Link to Lecture Slides: drive.google.com/file/d/1SZuAMvz3ufoql32IjXoAMM16KMCfa2cL/view?usp=drive_link
Due to the description character limit the full work cited for "Full Review of Macromolecules in Biology" can be viewed at... docs.google.com/document/d/17QWdhdNRSyS5jKtV25HDglJZV02s_dG_/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=104237452697237972847&rtpof=true&sd=true
