Compounds of Life and The Cell
BSCI 124, Straney
The Cell and its Components
The cell- structural and functional building block of organism
-potentially can function independently
I. Chemical Compounds that make up the cell
-properties determined by polar vs nonpolar nature- due to
predominance of water in body
-all form a polymer- a chain of similar compounds (building blocks)
-molecules made from carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen
A) Lipids
-building blocks are fatty acids, differ in chain length and saturation
-polymers: mono-, di- and tri-glycerides (triglyceride is a fat or oil)
-diglycerides form membrane (bilayer)
-function: membranes form partitions in water- separate self from
outside; fat and fatty acids store energy and water
B) Carbohydrates
-building blocks are monosaccharides (single sugar)
-polymers: disaccharides (e.g. sucrose is glucose and fructose),
polysaccharides (e.g. cellulose, starch, glycogen are
glucose polymers)
-function: energy storage and currency, structural components
C) Proteins
-building blocks are amino acids (20 different)
-polymers are 100-1000 amino acids long, specific sequence,
many possibilities (eg 20100 - 201000)
-function: enzymes (catalyze specific chemical reactions to make lipids,
carbohydrates, nucleic acids, proteins, as well as other small molecules) and structural components
D) Nucleic Acids
-building block is nucleotide bases (A, G, C, T, U)
-form polymer hundreds to millions of bases long
-DNA- two strands, complementary sequences (A paired with T,
G paired with C)
-function: storage and processing of information for making proteins
II. Structural Components of the cell
-membranes: lipid outer membrane separates cell from outside;
inside, membranes form compartments (organelles)
-cell wall: made of cellulose, provides structural strength
-cytoplasm: watery material inside cell
-filaments: microtubules and microfilament allow movement of cell
and within the cell
-organelles:
-nucleus: stores DNA, genetic information for building cell
-chromosomes are packaged DNA
-mitochondria: used for converting sugar to energy
-chloroplast: performs photosynthesis, only found in plants
-vacuole: storage closet of cell: acids, pigments, chemicals
-endoplasmic reticulum: site of protein synthesis
-golgi: processes proteins to be exported from cell
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