Question

What are the subunits of proteins? Of starch? Of DNA

Answer 1

Proteins are made up of amino acids, starch is composed of glucose units, and DNA is built from nucleotides consisting of a sugar, phosphate, and nitrogen base. These subunits form the foundational structures for complex biological molecules that are essential for life.

Step-by-step explanation:

Subunits of Proteins, Starch, and DNA

The subunits of proteins are amino acids. These amino acids link together in chains to form polypeptides, which then fold and assemble into the final protein structure. Some proteins are constructed from multiple polypeptides, also known as subunits, which contribute to the protein's quaternary structure through weak interactions like hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions, and salt bridges. For example, hemoglobin is made up of four polypeptide subunits.

The subunits of starch are glucose monomer units. Starch is essentially a polysaccharide composed of these glucose units, which are chained together to store energy in plant cells.

The subunits of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are nucleotides. A nucleotide consists of a sugar molecule, phosphate group, and a nitrogen base. DNA itself is composed of two polynucleotide chains that form its iconic double helix structure, thanks to hydrogen bonds between complementary nitrogen bases.

Overall, these biological polymers play crucial roles in the structure and function of living organisms. Proteins serve a wide range of functions including catalysis, structural support, and transport, while starch is a key energy reservoir in plants. DNA holds the genetic code that is pivotal for inheritance and the synthesis of proteins.

Answer 2

1. Proteins are made from subunits called amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids which are responsible for the variation of proteins. Those amino acids are linked together by peptide bonds and form polypeptide chains. According to the polypeptide structure, there are 4 levels in protein structure as primary structure, secondary structure, tertiary structure and quaternary structure.

2. Starch is a type of carbohydrate. Hence, the subunits of starch are sugar molecules which are called as glucose. The elements of glucose are C,H,O. By linking glucose units with 1-4 alpha glycosidic bonds, the polysaccharide chain is formed. Hence, starch is also a polysaccharide.

3. DNA is made from subunits called nucleotides. Nucleotides consist of deoxyribose, phosphate group and nitrogenous base. There are two types of nitrogenous base as purines and pyrimidines. Adenine (A) and guanine (G) are purines and thymine (T) and cytosine (C) can be seen as pyrimidines. Those nucleotides are linked together by sugar phosphate bonds which are formed between 5' phosphate group and 3' -OH group.