List the four macromolecules that make up cells and give a brief description of the structure and function of each

What will be an ideal response?


Carbohydrates include small, water-soluble sugars and large polymers made of sugars. In the cell, carbohydrates have three important functions: They are structural components of cells; they act as energy sources for the cell; and, in combination with proteins on the surface, they give cells a molecular identity.

Lipids are a structurally and functionally diverse class of biological molecules partially defined by their insolubility in water. Lipids have many functions: They are structural components of membranes, some serve as energy reserves, while others act as hormones and vitamins. Lipids are classified into three major groups: fats and oils, phospholipids, and steroids. The phospholipids play important roles in the structure and function of the cell membrane.

Proteins are the most functionally diverse class of macromolecules. Proteins are polymers, made up of one or more chains of subunits, called amino acids. The varied structures of proteins are reflected in their diversity of functions.

Nucleic acids are polymers made from nucleotide subunits. Nucleotides themselves have important functions in energy transfer, but nucleic acids are the storehouses of genetic information in the cell. The information is encoded in the nucleotide sequence.

Biology & Microbiology

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Certain plants that grow in environments where their roots are often under water need to provide ways of getting which of the following to the roots?

A. carbon dioxide B. carbon monoxide C. hydrogen D. nitrogen E. oxygen

Biology & Microbiology

If a cell had a chromosome number of four,

after anaphase but before the cytoplasm divides, how many chromosomes does the cell have?

a. 2 b. 4 c. 8 d. 16 e. none of these

Biology & Microbiology

Replication of DNA

a. produces RNA molecules. b. produces only new DNA. c. produces two molecules, each of which is half-new and half-old DNA joined lengthwise to each other. d. generates excessive DNA, which eventually causes the nucleus to divide. e. is too complex to characterize.

Biology & Microbiology

If one compares the base sequences of related genes from different species, one is likely to find that corresponding ________ are usually conserved, but the sequences of ________ are much less well conserved

A) exons; introns B) introns; exons C) introns; proteins D) chaperons; exons E) introns; chaperons

Biology & Microbiology