Biochemistry : Biochemistry

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Biochemistry

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Example Questions

Example Question #24 : Lipid Classifications

Ceramide is a precursor to which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Sphingolipids only

Glycoshingolipids only

Sphingomyelin only

Sphingomyelin and glycosphingolipids

Sphingosine

Correct answer:

Sphingomyelin and glycosphingolipids

Explanation:

Ceramide is formed by sphingosine. Sphingosine is formed by a long chain of sphingolipids. Both sphingomyelin and glycosphingolipids are formed from ceramide.

Example Question #21 : Lipid Structures And Functions

Which of the following is amphipathic, polar, and are formed by long-chain sphingolipids?

Possible Answers:

Ceramide

Glucosamine

Palmitoyl-CoA

Sphingomyelin

Sphingosine

Correct answer:

Sphingosine

Explanation:

Glucosamine contributes to the structure of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI). Ceramide is the precursor to sphingomyelin, sphingosine is hydrolyzed to form ceramide.

Example Question #1 : Sphingolipids

The myelin sheaths of neurons typically contain large quantities of __________.

Possible Answers:

triacylglycerols

waxes

cholesterol

sphingolipids

Correct answer:

sphingolipids

Explanation:

Myelin sheaths surround nerve cell axons and are essential for proper nervous system function. They act as an electrically insulating layer and enable better propagation of action potentials. Sphingomyelin is a type of sphingolipid found in the myelin sheaths of animal cell membranes.

Example Question #171 : Macromolecule Structures And Functions

Which of these lipid molecules has a different fundamental structure than the others? 

Possible Answers:

Glycolipids

Sphingolipids

Cholesterol

Triglyceride

Fatty acids

Correct answer:

Cholesterol

Explanation:

Cholesterol is made up of multiple rings, including three six-carbon rings and one five-carbon ring. This characteristic structure is also seen in steroid hormones and metabolites, as many biologically relevant molecules are derived from cholesterol. Fatty acids are long hydrocarbons (typically between ten and thirty carbons long) with carboxylic acid functional groups on one end. Glycolipids are lipids that have carbohydrate moieties attached, which play a role in cellular and molecular communication. Sphingolipids are a class of lipids that contain a sphingoid base backbone and include sphingosine, sphingomyelin, ceramides, gangliosides and others.

Example Question #2 : Other Lipid Classifications

Glycolipids are characterized by which non-lipid component?

Possible Answers:

Sphingosine

Polypeptide

Phosphate

Sugar

Correct answer:

Sugar

Explanation:

The prefix "glyco-" means "sugar." Glycolipids are thus lipids that have a sugar component. Glycolipids containing sphingoid bases are called sphingolipids. Glycolipids containing phosphate are called phospholipids. Lipoproteins are molecules that contain both lipid and peptide components.

Example Question #32 : Lipid Structures And Functions

Lipids built from the five-carbon unit isoprene are called __________.

Possible Answers:

glycerophospholipids

lipoproteins

sphingomyelins

terpenoids

sphingolipids

Correct answer:

terpenoids

Explanation:

Terpenoids (also called isoprenoids) are produced mostly by plants. Many vitamins such as A, E, and K are terpenoids, and steroids/sterols also belong to this group.

Example Question #191 : Biochemistry

There are many different lipoproteins used by the body to transport lipids and cholesterol. Which of the following is a true statement about lipoproteins?

Possible Answers:

LDL is a dense lipoprotein that carries dietary fats around the body.

VLDL is the largest of the lipoproteins. 

Chylomicrons are very dense lipoproteins that carry dietary fats. 

HDL is a dense lipoprotein that carries cholesterol from the body to the liver. 

HDL carries lipids that are synthesized in the liver. 

Correct answer:

HDL is a dense lipoprotein that carries cholesterol from the body to the liver. 

Explanation:

Only "HDL is a dense lipoprotein that carries cholesterol from the body to the liver" is a true statement. Chylomicrons are the largest and least dense lipoprotein, and they carry dietary lipids. VLDL carries lipids synthesized in the liver to the body. they are more dense the chylomicrons. LDL carries cholesterol around the body, and HDL is the most dense and carries cholesterol to the liver for breakdown. 

Example Question #1 : Glycosidic Linkages

Glucose polysaccharides are linked together at branch points in glycogen by what type of bond?

Possible Answers:

Beta-1,4 linkages

Peptide linkages

Beta-1,6 linkages

Alpha-1,6 linkages

Alpha-1,4 linkages

Correct answer:

Alpha-1,6 linkages

Explanation:

In glycogen, glucose molecules are attached one after the other by alpha-1,4 linkages. However, in order to make glycogen more compact for storage, branch points are created to created links between many shorter glucose polysaccharides. These branch points connect glucose molecules by alpha-1,6 linkages.

Example Question #1 : Glycosidic Linkages

Why does glycogen have more branches than starch?

Possible Answers:

There are more alpha-1,4 linkages

There are less alpha-1,6 linkages

None of these answers; glycogen is not more branched than starch

There are less alpha-1,4 linkages

There are more alpha-1,6 linkages

Correct answer:

There are more alpha-1,6 linkages

Explanation:

Lots of alpha-1,4 linkages allow for longer chain lengths in carbohydrates like starch and glycogen. However, it is the amount of alpha-1,6 linkages that determine the number of branches - since glycogen has many more alpha-1,6 linkages than starch does, it has more branches. This allows for easy breakdown of glycogen into glucose in the liver should there not be enough glucose in the body to supply the body's demand for energy production. Recall that glycogen phosphorylase can only break terminal alpha-1,4 glycosidic bonds; hence, with more branches there are more terminal glucose molecules that are substrates for this catabolic enzyme. 

Example Question #1 : Carbohydrate Structures And Functions

During times of glucose deprivation in the human body, the liver is able to supply glucose to the bloodstream by breaking down a large, branched polysaccharide that it holds in reserve until it is needed. Which of the following lists the correct type of glycosidic bonds found in this polysaccharide.

Possible Answers:

 for branch points and  for straight chain

 for branch points and  for straight chain

 for branch points and  for straight chain

  for branch points and  for straight chain

 for branch points and  for straight chain

Correct answer:

 for branch points and  for straight chain

Explanation:

For this question, we're told some background information about the liver's role in providing glucose homeostasis. We're told that when blood glucose levels are lowered, the liver is able to help restore glucose levels by keeping a large polysaccharide of glucose in store. In times of need, the liver can break this compound down to provide glucose to the bloodstream.

Even though the question doesn't explicitly tell us what the polysaccharide is, we should be able to infer that the compound in question is glycogen. Therefore, to answer the question, we need to know which kind of glycosidic bonds are found in glycogen.

First, let's recall that an individual glucose molecule is composed of six carbon atoms. In its ring form, glucose can exist as one of two epimers, depending on how its ring closes when transitioning from its straight chain form to its closed ring form. The anomeric carbon of the glucose molecule can be arranged in one of two ways when its ring closes. The anomeric carbon is the one that goes from being achiral to chiral as the ring closes. In the alpha configuration, the hydroxyl group attached to the anomeric carbon faces down, while in the beta configuration it faces up.

In addition to existing as either an alpha or a beta epimer, glucose also participates in glycosidic linkages using its first, fourth, and sixth carbon atom.

In glycogen, each individual glucose molecule is in the alpha configuration. Thus, we can rule out both answer choices that include beta. Moreover, the fourth carbon atom of each glucose molecule is attached to the first carbon atom (the anomeric carbon) in the next glucose molecule in the straight chain. To make branch points at various points along the straight chain, some of the glucose molecules have their sixth carbon atom attached to the anomeric carbon of other glucose molecules.

In conclusion,  glycosidic bonds are responsible for branch points and  glycosidic bonds are responsible for the straight chain.

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