Which biomolecule is useful for a fast source of energy

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Alternate titles: biological molecule

By Kara Rogers Edit History

Table of Contents

Which biomolecule is useful for a fast source of energy

polynucleotide chain of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

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Key People:Jacques Dubochet...(Show more)Related Topics:protein lipid nucleic acid carbohydrate steroid...(Show more)

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biomolecule, also called biological molecule, any of numerous substances that are produced by cells and living organisms. Biomolecules have a wide range of sizes and structures and perform a vast array of functions. The four major types of biomolecules are carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins.

Among biomolecules, nucleic acids, namely DNA and RNA, have the unique function of storing an organism’s genetic code—the sequence of nucleotides that determines the amino acid sequence of proteins, which are of critical importance to life on Earth. There are 20 different amino acids that can occur within a protein; the order in which they occur plays a fundamental role in determining protein structure and function. Proteins themselves are major structural elements of cells. They also serve as transporters, moving nutrients and other molecules in and out of cells, and as enzymes and catalysts for the vast majority of chemical reactions that take place in living organisms. Proteins also form antibodies and hormones, and they influence gene activity.

Which biomolecule is useful for a fast source of energy

molecular view of the cell membrane

Likewise, carbohydrates, which are made up primarily of molecules containing atoms of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, are essential energy sources and structural components of all life, and they are among the most abundant biomolecules on Earth. They are built from four types of sugar units—monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides. Lipids, another key biomolecule of living organisms, fulfill a variety of roles, including serving as a source of stored energy and acting as chemical messengers. They also form membranes, which separate cells from their environments and compartmentalize the cell interior, giving rise to organelles, such as the nucleus and the mitochondrion, in higher (more complex) organisms.

Which biomolecule is useful for a fast source of energy

DNA packaging into chromatin and chromosome

Which biomolecule is useful for a fast source of energy

Explore the various types of large biological molecules such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids

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All biomolecules share in common a fundamental relationship between structure and function, which is influenced by factors such as the environment in which a given biomolecule occurs. Lipids, for example, are hydrophobic (“water-fearing”); in water, many spontaneously arrange themselves in such a way that the hydrophobic ends of the molecules are protected from the water, while the hydrophilic ends are exposed to the water. This arrangement gives rise to lipid bilayers, or two layers of phospholipid molecules, which form the membranes of cells and organelles. In another example, DNA, which is a very long molecule—in humans, the combined length of all the DNA molecules in a single cell stretched end to end would be about 1.8 metres (6 feet), whereas the cell nucleus is about 6 μm (6 10-6 metre) in diameter—has a highly flexible helical structure that allows the molecule to become tightly coiled and looped. This structural feature plays a key role in enabling DNA to fit in the cell nucleus, where it carries out its function in coding genetic traits.

Which biomolecule is main source of energy?

Abstract. Carbohydrates are the main energy source of the human diet. The metabolic disposal of dietary carbohydrates is direct oxidation in various tissues, glycogen synthesis (in liver and muscles), and hepatic de novo lipogenesis.

Are proteins useful for a fast source of energy?

During strenuous activity, if glycogen stores are depleted, protein can provide up to 15% of energy. In general, protein is not a quick or efficient source of fuel, and since it can't be stored, any protein consumed that doesn't get used immediately is converted into fat for storage.

What biomolecule is helpful for long term energy storage?

Lipids: molecules created and used by animals for long term energy storage, protection, and warmth.

Which biomolecule can speed up reactions?

The answer is enzymes. Enzymes in our bodies are catalysts that speed up reactions by helping to lower the activation energy needed to start a reaction. Each enzyme molecule has a special place called the active site where another molecule, called the substrate, fits.