As its name implies, biochemistry is the chemistry of living organisms
Chemistry deals with objects at the molecular scale
The fundamental unit of living organisms is the cell (macroscopic scale)
Consequently, biochemistry tries to span both of these worlds
The Chemistry of Life
At the microscopic scale, we generally don't consider individual atoms and molecules to be 'alive'
And yet, with collections of certain kinds of atoms and molecules, we see the remarkable activity of
self-organization, energy use, and replication
From non-living material components, we see the emergence of living organisms
Biochemistry is directly concerned with understanding this extraordinary transition from non-life to life
Principles of Biochemistry
The subject of Biochemistry can be organized in three overall parts:
Basic structures and mechanisms
Energy and Metabolism
Macromolecular Systems
I. Basic Structures and Mechanisms
The basic structures of biochemistry are biomolecules
Biomolecules are molecules created by living organisms
They fall into four main categories:
Proteins
Nucleic Acids
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Biomolecules
We will study each of these four categories of biomolecules, to understand:
Structure (what they are made of)
Synthesis (how they are made)
Function (their purpose and activity in living cells)
II. Energy and Metabolism
Energy is a fundamental resource for living organisms
A living cell must obtain and use energy to maintain itself
Energy production and use must be carefully controlled to satisfy many complex needs
This occurs by a collection of processes called a metabolism
In a living cell, a metabolism is a highly integrated network of chemical reactions
Metabolic Networks
The diagram below shows a simplified representation of the network of chemical reactions in a cell:
Aspects of Metabolism
Some aspects of metabolism covered in the course:
Glycolysis (anaerobic energy production)
The Citric Acid Cycle, Electron Transfer (aerobic energy production)
Glycogen and Fatty Acids (energy storage)
Signal Transduction (control of cell activity)
III. Macromolecular Systems
After we cover the building blocks, we'll examine the molecular machines and systems that are built from them
These will include:
Synthesis of Cell Membranes
DNA Replication and Repair (DNA polymerase)
Gene Transcription (RNA polymerase)
Protein Synthesis (Ribosomes)
Biochemistry in Science, Medicine and Technology
Biochemistry is an important foundation for many other areas of science, including:
Cell Biology
Developmental Biology
Physiology
Pharmacology
Systems Biology
The Challenges Ahead
One of the most exciting challenges in the coming years will be to integrate the recent
explosion of scientific data in biology:
The full potential of the Human Genome Project has yet to be tapped
2D microarrays (gene chips) are providing huge amounts of data on DNA and protein interactions
Less numerous, but still large amounts of 3D structural data are being produced by x-ray
crystallography, NMR and cryo-electron microscopy to give detailed 'pictures' of molecules and cells
Advances in computer science and technology are increasing the capability for modeling and simulation
of living organisms at multiple levels of detail
The Opportunities
The opportunities for young people entering the biological sciences in the years ahead is vast
Cheaper DNA sequencing may provide 'personal genomes' in 10 - 15 years.
The existence of personal genomes may open up huge new fields in areas
of medical diagnosis, treatment and prevention
Success in these areas will rely upon a solid foundation of knowledge and training in biochemistry!
