MUKUBA UNIVERSITY

DIRECTORATE OF OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING

SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT
CHE 400
BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES AND THEIR CHEMISTRY
ASSIGNMENT TWO

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Read the question in this assignment carefully and answer it fully.
2. Use the APA referencing style for all texts you use.
3. Your assignment should be typed and formatted as follows - font: Times New Roman; size: 12; line
spacing: 1.5; alignment: justified.
4. Your write-up should not be more than three (3) pages long.

DUE DATE: JUNE 05, 2015

1. Compare and contrast fatty acid synthesis and fatty acid degradation.
2. Briefly explain how the structure of DNA allows for its replication and repair with near-
perfect fidelity.

END OF ASSIGNMENT

………………………………………………………………………………………………......

MUKUBA UNIVERSITY
DIRECTORATE OF OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING
SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT
CHE 400
BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES AND THEIR CHEMISTRY
ASSIGNMENT TWO

INSTRUCTIONS:
5. Read the question in this assignment carefully and answer it fully.
6. Use the APA referencing style for all texts you use.
7. Your assignment should be typed and formatted as follows - font: Times New Roman; size: 12; line
spacing: 1.5; alignment: justified.
8. Your write-up should not be more than three (3) pages long.

DUE DATE: JUNE 05, 2015

1. Compare and contrast fatty acid synthesis and fatty acid degradation.
2. Briefly explain how the structure of DNA allows for its replication and repair with near-
perfect fidelity.

END OF ASSIGNMENT

1
QUESTION ONE

Definitions:

Fatty acid. [1]

Synthesis. [1]

Degradation. [1]

Comparison:

Any six (6) of the following [6]

Property Synthesis Degradation

Site Cytosol Mitochondria
When High carb concentration Low carb concentration
Acyl carrier ACP Co-enzyme A
Reductant NADP NAD+: FAD
Source of 2C Malonyl Co-A Acetyl Co-A
Direction Methyl to carboxyl Carboxyl to methyl
Manner of synthesis/ 2C 2C
degradation
Enzymes Complex called fatty acid Multiple unassociated
synthase (six enzymes and one enzymes
carrier protein)
Energy input 49 ATP 33 ATP
Steps involved CRDR: condensation; OHOC: oxidation; hydration;
reduction; dehydration; oxidation; cleavage
reduction
Purpose Produce lipids for various uses Production of acetyl Co A to
with in the cell. carry carbon atoms within the
acetyl group to the Krebs cycle
to be oxidized for energy
production.

2
QUESTION TWO

Definitions:

i. DNA [1]
ii. Replication. [1]

Enzymes needed:

i. Helicase. [1]
ii. DNA polymerase. [1]

Other:

i. DNA full name. [1]

Sample response

i. The capacity of living cells to preserve their genetic material and to duplicate it for
the next generation results from the structural complementarity between the two
halves of the DNA molecule (illustration not necessary)
[2]
ii. The basic unit of DNA is a linear polymer of four different monomeric subunits,
deoxyribonucleotides, arranged in a precise linear sequence. It is this linear
sequence that encodes the genetic information. [2]
iii. Two of these polymeric strands are twisted about each other to form the DNA
double helix, in which each deoxyribonucleotide in one strand pairs specifically with
a complementary deoxyribonucleotide in the opposite strand.
[2]
iv. Before a cell divides, the two DNA strands separate and each serves as a template
for the synthesis of a new complementary strand, generating two identical
double-helical molecules, one for each daughter cell.
v. If one strand is damaged, continuity of information is assured by the information
present in the other strand, which acts as a template for repair of the damage.
[2]

Bibliography [1]

TOTAL: [25]

END OF MARKING SCHEDULE