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Chapter 1: Problem 7

What structural features allow biological polymers to be informational macromolecules? Is it possible for polysaccharides to be informational macromolecules?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Biological polymers can be informational macromolecules due to their complex and diverse sequential structure, allowing them to store and transmit genetic information. However, polysaccharides, despite being biological polymers, are not considered informational macromolecules because they don't store or transmit heritable information; their primary role is energy storage and providing structure.

Step by step solution

01

Define Informational Macromolecules

Informational macromolecules are those that can conduct or store biological information, and typically include nucleic acids and proteins. Their basic units, which are monomers, can combine in numerous ways, allowing for huge diversity and complexity. This makes it possible for them to store a considerable amount of information.
02

Explain Polymers and Their Structure

A polymer is a large molecule that consists of many repeating sub-units. In the case of biological polymers, these include nucleic acids and proteins. These polymers have sequences that are determined by heritable genetic information, which allows them to hold and transmit this information.
03

Discuss Polysaccharides

Polysaccharides are complex carbohydrates composed of long chains of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages. Their primary roles are to store energy and provide structure to cells and organisms.
04

Decide Whether Polysaccharides can be Informational

Given the nature of their structure and functions, polysaccharides are not generally considered informational macromolecules. While they do contribute materially to biological systems, they do not store or transmit heritable information like nucleic acids and proteins do. Therefore, they cannot be classified as informational macromolecules.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Biomolecules interact with one another through molecular surfaces that are structurally complementary. How can various proteins interact with molecules as different as simple ions, hydrophobic lipids, polar but uncharged carbohydrates, and even nucleic acids?

Assume that liver cells are cuboidal in shape, \(20 \mu \mathrm{m}\) on a side. a. How many liver cells laid end to end would fit across the diameter of a pinhead? (Assume a pinhead diameter of \(0.5 \mathrm{mm} .\) ) b. What is the volume of a liver cell? (Assume it is a cube.) c. What is the surface area of a liver cell? What is the surface to-volume ratio of a liver cell? How does this compare to the surface-to-volume ratio of an \(E\) coli cell (compare this answer with that of problem \(3 c\) )? What problems must cells with low surface to-volume ratios confront that do not occur in cells with high surface-to-volume ratios? A. A human liver cell contains two sets of 23 chromosomes, each set being roughly equivalent in information content. The total mass of DNA contained in these 46 enormous DNA molecules is \(4 \times 10^{12}\) daltons. Because each nucleotide pair contributes 660 daltons to the mass of DNA and 0.34 nm to the length of DNA, what is the total number of nucleotide pairs and the complete length of the DNA in a liver cell? How does this length compare with the overall dimensions of a liver cell? The maximal information in each set of liver cell chromosomes should be related to the number of nucleotide pairs in the chromosome set's DNA. This number can be obtained by dividing the total number of nucleotide pairs just calculated by 2 . What is this value? If this information is expressed in proteins that average 400 amino acids in length and three nucleotide pairs encode one amino acid in a protein, how many different kinds of proteins might a liver cell be able to produce? (In reality, liver cell DNA encodes approximately 20,000 different proteins. Thus, a large discrepancy exists between the theoretical information content of DNA in liver cells and the amount of information actually expressed.)

The nutritional requirements of Escherichia coli cells are far simpler than those of humans, yet the macromolecules found in bacteria are about as complex as those of animals. Because bacteria can make all their essential biomolecules while subsisting on a simpler diet, do you think bacteria may have more biosynthetic capacity and hence more metabolic complexity than animals? Organize your thoughts on this question, pro and con, into a rational argument.

Biological molecules often interact via weak forces (H bonds, van der Waals interactions, etc.). What would be the effect of an increase in kinetic energy on such interactions?

Why is it important that weak forces, not strong forces, mediate biomolecular recognition?
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