This week's reading is Chapter 3 (Biological Molecules) of the course textbook, which is accessible through the Syllabus or through the course's "Textbooks" page. Optional: If you are having difficult

This week's reading is Chapter 3 (Biological Molecules) of the course textbook, which is accessible through the Syllabus or through the course's "Textbooks" page.

Optional: If you are having difficulties grasping particular concepts from the textbook or if you want to explore them more in details, you could watch videos about biology on Khan Academy at "Khan Academy Biology”. The videos are categorized and named according to the concept they explain, so it should be easy to find those that are relevant to study. A section entitled Macromolecules is most helpful for this unit.

Part 1

In your assigned readings, you learned about biological molecule synthesis and degradation. Our cells are busy both building and breaking down macromolecules for both structural and functional purposes. Enzymes are necessary for the effective synthesis and degradation of macromolecules. Metabolic diseases result from either the lack of or defective enzymes. For this discussion, you will select a specific metabolic disorder. Describe the defect in metabolism responsible for the disorder identifying any enzyme(s) involved. Analyze the symptoms of the disease based on the metabolic disturbance. Discuss therapy available for treatment of the disorder. Does the therapy treat the symptoms or the metabolic nature of the disease? Explain.

Be sure to use in text citation and provide references for your sources. While not required for this discussion, you may use outside resources. Any materials cited in this course should be referenced using the APA style guidelines.

Part 2

Grading: Answers should be concise and well written. Make sure you correctly explain your thought process and provide all the necessary information.

Assignment: Create a table comparing the four major biological macromolecules: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Your table must include the following elements: monomer building blocks, nature of monomer, specific examples (more than one), specific functions (more than one). You can create a table using MS Word. The more you put into this table, the better prepared you will be for the quiz.