BIOCHEMISTRY I
First Semester General Biochemistry
Dr. Michael Blaber

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Chemistry is the Basis of Biological Phenomena

Properties of living systems, Biomolecules, Biomolecular hierarchy

Fitness of biomolecules, Organization of cells, Viruses

Water, pH and Ionic Equilibria

Properties of water, pH, Buffers, Role of water

Thermodynamics of Biological Systems

Thermodynamic concepts and properties

pH and concentration effects, Coupled processes, High energy biomolecules, ATP hydrolysis

Amino Acids

Amino acids, Acid-base chemistry, Reactions

Optical activity and stereochemistry, Spectroscopic properties, Separations

Proteins: Biological Functions and Primary Structure

Proteins are linear polymers, Protein architecture, Biological functions

Chemical groups, Reactions, Purification, Primary structure, Synthesis

Proteins: Secondary, Tertiary, and Quaternary Structure

Forces influencing protein structure, Protein secondary structure

Protein folding and tertiary structure, Subunit interactions and quaternary structure

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrate nomenclature, Mono-, oligo-, and polysaccharides

Lipids

Fatty acids, Triacyl glycerols, Glycerophospholipids, Sphingolipids, Waxes, Terpenes and Steriods

Membranes and Cell Surfaces

Membranes, and Structure of Membrane Proteins

Membranes and cell surface, Polysaccharides, Glycoproteins and Proteoglycans

Membrane Transport

Passive diffusion, Facilitative diffusion, Active transport, ATP-driven reactions

Transport processes driven by light and ion gradients, Group translocation, Membrane pores, Ionophores

Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids

Nitrogenous bases, Pentoses, Nucleosides, Nucleotides, Polynucleotides

Classes of nucleic acids, Hydrolysis of nucleic acids

Structure of Nucleic Acids

Primary structure, ABZ forms of DNA, Denaturation of DNA

Supercoils and tertiary structure, Chromosome structure, Structure of RNA

Recombinant DNA and Cloning

Cloning and DNA libraries

Polymerase chain reaction, Recombinant DNA technology

Enzyme Kinetics

Enzymes, Enzyme kinetics

Enzyme inhibition, Ribozymes and Abzymes

Enzyme Specificity and Regulation

Specificity and control, Allosteric regulation

Glycogen phosphorylase, G proteins and cyclic AMP

Mechanisms of Enzyme Action

Enzyme catalysis and rate acceleration

Typical enzyme mechanisms: Serine proteases, aspartic proteases

Molecular Motors

Microtubules and their motors

Skeltal muscle myosin and muscle contraction

Metabolism

Metabolism: An overview

Nutrients and vitamins

Glycolysis

Glycolysis: The first phase

Glycolysis: The second phase

The Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle

The TCA Cycle: Overview

The TCA Cycle: Biosynthetic intermediates, Anaplerotic rxns, Regulation

Electron Transport and Oxidative Phosphorylation

Electron transport chain

Oxidative phosphorylation