Up-dated 24/10/2019
Thank you for your question Sam. As usual I put it to a member of my team. Lets see what they say and then, maybe, I can add to it.
Thank you for that team. Cells are obviously very, very important. We, and all, living things are all made up of them. But what about the cells themselves …what are they made of ? A little research shows that all cells contain proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids. Let’s look at the role of each of these groups of compounds.
Proteins are all important (they are made of things called amino acids BUT enough of that). Proteins have important roles in cells. They provide the cell with energy, they fight infections they help move other components around the cell.
Lipids are basically fats and therefore are a source of energy. The proteins will access the lipids to help them in their tasks and the Carbohydrates are another source of energy
Nucleic acids are better known as amino acids that make up RNA and DNA structures. These are probably the most important, ………no I am wrong, the nucleic acid component of the cell needs all the other components to survive. They will not last long if left alone. The nucleic acids are the messengers of the cells. In simple terms they have, in their structure , the message that enables the construction of a living thing (animal, plant) from the activity of the rest of the cell. You could say they are the managers.
A little addition ……. what is an amino acid? Firstly as an acid it contains the -COOH group of atoms. CH3COOH is a familiar acid
Shown here in its structural form
known as acetic acid (vinegar).
Amino acids basically contain NH2 groups instead of CH3 . One of the simplest is glycine.
Proteins also (in some cases) act as catalysts (something that enables a reaction to occur. In these situations they are called enzymes.
I really hope this is helpful. Thanks for the question.
