BIO SYSTEMS
BIOCHEMISTRY BIOARTICLES BIOTECHNOLOGY
Biochemistry is the study of the processes in living It deals with the and function of cellular components, such as and other .Although there are a vast number of different bimolecular, many are complex and large molecules called that are composed of similar repeating subunits called. Each class of polymeric bimolecular has a different set of subunit types. For example, a is a polymer whose subunits are selected from a set of 20 or more . Biochemistry studies the chemical properties of important biological molecules, like proteins, in particular the chemistry of The biochemistry of and the has been extensively described. Other areas of biochemistry include the , and This article only discusses terrestrial biochemistry - and as all the life forms we know are on Since life forms alive today descended from the same they have similar biochemistries, for matters that seem to be essentially arbitrary, such as Originally, it was generally believed that life was not subject to the laws of science the way non-life was. It was thought that only living beings could produce the molecules of life (from other, previously existing bimolecular). Then, in 1828, published a paper on the synthesis of , proving that compounds can be created artificially.
The dawn of biochemistry may have been the discovery of the first enzyme, today called in 1833 by contributed the first demonstration of a complex biochemical process outside of a cell in 1896: in cell extracts of yeast. Although the term “biochemistry” seems to have been first used in 1882, it is generally accepted that the formal coinage of biochemistry occurred in 1903 by a German Previously, this area would have been referred to as Since then, biochemistry has advanced, especially since the mid-20th century, with the development of new techniques such as simulations. These techniques allowed for the discovery and detailed analysis of many molecules and of the such as and the citric acid cycle Another significant historic event in biochemistry is the discovery of the and its role in the transfer of information in the cell. This part of biochemistry is often called In the 1950s, and were instrumental in solving DNA structure and suggesting its relationship with genetic transfer of information. In 1958, and received the Nobel Prize for work in fungi showing that one gene produces one enzyme. In 1988,was the first person convicted of murder with evidence, which led to growth of More recently, and received the 2006 Nobel Prize for discovering the role of , in the silencing of gene expression.Today, there are three main types of biochemistry as established by Michael E. Sugar. Plant biochemistry involves the study of the biochemistry of organisms such as and other plant specific processes. General biochemistry encompasses both plant and animal biochemistry. Human/medical/medicinal biochemistry focuses on the biochemistry of humans and medical illnesses. The simplest type of carbohydrate is a , which among other properties contains carbon, and , mostly in a ratio of 1:2:1 (generalized formula CnH2nOn, where n is at least 3). , one of the most important carbohydrates, is an example of a monosaccharide. So is , the sugar that gives their sweet taste.
The term lipid comprises a diverse range of and to some extent is a catchall for relatively water-insoluble or compounds of biological origin, including , fatty-acid derived and egad Some lipids are linear molecules, while others have ring structures. Some are while others are not. Some are flexible, while others are rigid. Most lipids have some character in addition to being largely no polar. Generally, the bulk of their structure is no polar or ("water-fearing"), meaning that it does not interact well with polar solvents like water. Another part of their structure is polar or ("water-loving") and will tend to associate with polar solvents like water. This makes them molecules (having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions). In the case of the polar group is a mere -OH or alcohol). In the case of phospholipids, the polar groups are considerably larger and more polar, as described below. Lipids are an integral part of our daily diet. Most and that we use for cooking and eating like etc, are comprised of are rich in various (PUMA). Lipid-containing foods undergo digestion within the body and are broken into fatty acids and , which are the final degradation products of fats and lipids. nucleic acid is a complex, high-molecular-weight biochemical composed of nucleotide chains that convey The most common nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid . Nucleic acids are found in all living cells and viruses. Aside from the genetic material of the cell, nucleic acids often play a role as as well as forming the base molecule for , the primary energy-carrier molecule found in all living organisms. Nucleic acid, so called because of its prevalence in cellular , is the generic name of the family of . The monomers are called , and each consists of three components: a nitrogenous heterocyclic (either a or a a and a group. Different nucleic acid types differ in the specific sugar found in their chain (e.g. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid contains 2-. Also, the nitrogenous bases possible in the two nucleic acids are different: and occur in both RNA and DNA, while occurs only in DNA and occurs in
Welcome to the Web site for the fifth edition of Biochemistry. This Web site is designed to help students review key concepts from the textbook through interactive exercises, animated 3D tutorials and learning tools. Resources are organized by chapter of the textbook and by content type. To access resources, please select a Chapter or Category below. With the addition of two new authors, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and of Carleton College, Liberty Striker's Biochemistry takes a new direction, as it becomes the first text to fully reflect the revolution that has taken place in biomedical science in the past ten years, culminating in the human genome project. To quote , "I am grateful to Jeremy Berg and John Tymoczko for giving new life to Biochemistry, for bringing it into the twenty-first century and shaping it anew. I especially like their new chapters entitled Biochemical Evolution and Exploring Evolution. Their exposition of the wonderful new structures that illuminate our understanding of bioenergetics and the flow of genetic information is masterful." Biochemistry, 5e is the first edition to be fully integrated with multimedia! The Conceptual Insights and Structural Insights Tutorials, written by of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, as well as the Living Figures are all identified in your text by a special media icon. Please note: Some categories require the use of Netscape Communicator.
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