BCH 400/600 – Introductory Biochemistry

Instructor: David ShintaniOffice: 311C Fleischmann

Ag.Lab: 308 Fleischmann Ag.E-mail: shintani@unr.eduPhone: (775) 784-4631

What is Biochemistry?• Biochemistry = chemistry of life.

• Biochemists use physical and chemical principles to explain biology at the molecular level.

• Basic principles of biochemistry are common to all living organism

How does biochemistry impact you?

• Medicine

• Agriculture

• Industrial applications

• Environmental applications

Principle Areas of Biochemistry

• Structure and function of biological macromolecules

• Metabolism – anabolic and catabolic processes.

• Molecular Genetics – How life is replicated. Regulation of protein synthesis

Life Before Biochemistry

Once upon a time, a long long time ago…..

Vitalism: idea that substances and processes associated with living organisms did not behave according to the known laws of physics and chemistry

Evidence: 1) Only living things have a high degree of

complexity2) Only living things extract, transform and

utilize energy from their environment3) Only living things are capable of self

assembly and self replication

Origins of Biochemistry: A challenge to “Vitalism.”

Famous Dead Biochemist!

Fallacy #1: Biochemicals can only be produced by living organisms

•1828 Friedrich Wohler

•Dead Biochemist #1

Fallacy #2: Complex bioconversion of chemical

substances require living matter

•1897 Eduard Buchner

Dead Biochemists #2

Glucose + Dead Yeast = Alcohol

• Emil Fischer

Fallacy #2: Complex bioconversion of chemical substances require living

matterDead Biochemists #3

Fallacy #2: Complex bioconversion of chemical substances require living

matterDead Biochemists #4

1926 J.B. Sumner

Findings of other famous dead biochemist

• 1944 Avery, MacLeod and McCarty identified DNA as information molecules

• 1953 Watson (still alive) and Crick proposed the structure of DNA

• 1958 Crick proposed the central dogma of biology

Organization of Life• elements• simple organic compounds

(monomers)• macromolecules (polymers)• supramolecular structures• organelles• cells• tissues• organisms

Range of the sizes of objects

studies by Biochemist

and Biologist

1 angstrom = 0.1 nm

Most abundant, essential for all organisms: C, N, O, P, S, HLess abundant, essential for all organisms : Na, Mg, K, Ca, ClTrace levels, essential for all organism: Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, ZnTrace levels, essential for some organisms: V, Cr, Mo, B, Al, Ga, Sn, Si, As, Se, I,

Elements of Life

Important compounds, functional groups

Many Important Biomolecules are Polymers

p ro te in com plex

p ro te in su b un it

a m ino ac id

m em b rane

p ho sp ho lip id

fa tty a c id

ce ll w a ll

ce llu lo se

g lu co se

ch ro m o som e

D N A

n uc leo tidemonomer

polymer

supramolecularstructure

lipids proteins carbo nucleic acids

Lipids

m em b rane

p ho sp ho lip id

fa tty a c idmonomer

polymer

supramolecularstructure

Proteins

monomer

polymer

supramolecularstructureEnzyme complex

protein subunit

amino acid

Carbohydrates

ce ll w a ll

ce llu lo se

g lu co semonomer

polymer

supramolecularstructure

ch ro m a tin

D N A

n uc leo tidemonomer

polymer

supramolecularstructure

Nucleic Acids

 

Common theme:

Monomers form polymers through condensations

Polymers are broken down through hydrolysis.

Prokaryote Cell

Cellular Organization of an E. coli Cell

200 – 300 mg protein / mL cytoplasm

Eukaryote Cell