ELI5, if DNA codes for proteins, how is stuff like lipids and carbohydrates made?
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Carbohydrates are sugars. They’re made by plants through photosynthesis. Plants breath in carbon dioxide and take water from the soil through their roots. They turn these into sugar and breathe out oxygen.
Animals can turn excess sugar into a carbohydrate called glycogen. If they have too much glycogen stored, the sugar gets turned into fat (lipid) instead.
Carbohydrates are sugars. They’re made by plants through photosynthesis. Plants breath in carbon dioxide and take water from the soil through their roots. They turn these into sugar and breathe out oxygen.
Animals can turn excess sugar into a carbohydrate called glycogen. If they have too much glycogen stored, the sugar gets turned into fat (lipid) instead.
Lots of good answers here. I’ll just add that proteins are much, MUCH more complicated than fats and carbohydrates. DNA stores the information needed to properly synthesize the very specific sequence of amino acids needed to produce a working protein.
Fats and carbs are generally much smaller, and are usually just statistical mixtures rather than specific sequences of monomers.
Lots of good answers here. I’ll just add that proteins are much, MUCH more complicated than fats and carbohydrates. DNA stores the information needed to properly synthesize the very specific sequence of amino acids needed to produce a working protein.
Fats and carbs are generally much smaller, and are usually just statistical mixtures rather than specific sequences of monomers.
Proteins can form shapes that attract various molecules and line them up so they form new, more complex molecules. They’re like little magnetic assembly machines.
Proteins can form shapes that attract various molecules and line them up so they form new, more complex molecules. They’re like little magnetic assembly machines.
DNA encodes for proteins, which are little molecular machines that perform all of the tasks needed to keep you alive. Some of the tasks performed include the steps necessary to synthesize both lipids and carbohydrates. Making a molecule like that isn’t the job of a single protein, but rather is the result of many different proteins working together, not unlike an assembly line! Other proteins will also help to fuse those parts together when required, making things like glycolipids and glycoproteins. Sometimes big combinations are made using all three classes of molecules configured together!
DNA encodes for proteins, which are little molecular machines that perform all of the tasks needed to keep you alive. Some of the tasks performed include the steps necessary to synthesize both lipids and carbohydrates. Making a molecule like that isn’t the job of a single protein, but rather is the result of many different proteins working together, not unlike an assembly line! Other proteins will also help to fuse those parts together when required, making things like glycolipids and glycoproteins. Sometimes big combinations are made using all three classes of molecules configured together!
DNA codes for proteins, and proteins are the tools, the machinery of the cell including those that put other classes of molecules together.
DNA codes for proteins, and proteins are the tools, the machinery of the cell including those that put other classes of molecules together.
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