Unit · year 1

BU-102 · Biological Molecules

Threads structure · energy26 lectures7 concepts

The four families of macromolecule and how their structure creates their function.

PREREQUISITES

Lectures

L01	Water: The Medium of Life —
L02	Carbon and the Chemistry of Life —
L03	Monomers, Polymers, and Condensation —
L04	Carbohydrates: Monosaccharides Carbohydrates and polysaccharides
L05	Disaccharides and the Glycosidic Bond Carbohydrates and polysaccharides
L06	Polysaccharides: Starch, Glycogen, Cellulose Carbohydrates and polysaccharides
L07	Structure and Function in Polysaccharides Carbohydrates and polysaccharides
L08	Lipids: Fatty Acids and Triglycerides Lipids and self-assembly
L09	Phospholipids and Amphipathicity Lipids and self-assembly
L10	Self-Assembly of Bilayers and Micelles Lipids and self-assembly
L11	Steroids and Other Lipids Lipids and self-assembly
L12	Amino Acids and the Peptide Bond The levels of protein structure
L13	Primary Structure The levels of protein structure
L14	Secondary Structure: Helices and Sheets The levels of protein structure
L15	Tertiary Structure and the Hydrophobic Core The levels of protein structure
L16	Quaternary Structure The levels of protein structure
L17	Fibrous and Globular Proteins The levels of protein structure
L18	Enzymes as Biological Catalysts Enzymes and activation energy
L19	Activation Energy and the Transition State Enzymes and activation energy
L20	The Active Site: Lock-and-Key and Induced Fit Enzymes and activation energy
L21	Factors Affecting Enzyme Activity Enzymes and activation energy
L22	Nucleotides and Nucleic Acid Structure The DNA double helix
L23	The DNA Double Helix The DNA double helix
L24	Base Pairing and Information Storage The DNA double helix
L25	RNA and Its Structural Differences The DNA double helix
L26	Synthesis: Molecular Structure Predicts Biological Role The levels of protein structure, The DNA double helix

Concepts in this unit

T-007

The levels of protein structure

From amino-acid sequence to folded, functional shape.

T-008

Enzymes and activation energy

Biological catalysts that speed reactions without being consumed.

T-009

The DNA double helix

Complementary base pairing on two antiparallel strands.

T-010

Lipids and self-assembly

Amphipathic molecules spontaneously form bilayers.

T-011

Carbohydrates and polysaccharides

Sugars as energy stores and structural polymers.

T-175

Selection coefficient and allele frequency change

How the selection coefficient s and dominance h set the per-generation change in allele frequency: the exact recursion and its weak-selection limit.

T-176

Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium

One generation of random mating fixes an autosomal locus at genotype proportions p^2, 2pq, q^2 set by the allele frequency, which itself never changes.