Biochemistry

Lessons

Lesson 1: Water's Unique Chemistry

Lesson 2: Amino Acids

General Structure of an amino acid

All amino acids have the following general structure:

Image link: https://archive.is/20130707075958/img222.imageshack.us/img222/4723/aminoacidwithgroup.jpg

Area in Green is the amino group - NH2
Area in Beige is the carboxyl group - COOH

The 'R' is the variable region. Different amino acids have different groups attached in the R region, this is what gives each group of amino acids essentially it own specific function and shape.

Lesson 3: Proteins

Lesson 4: Enzymes

Essay and Discussion Themes

w:Digestion and absorption
Kidney
w:Nerve impulse, transmission, w:neuromuscular junction and modulators.
w:The origin of life on Earth
The possible origin of life outside Earth (w:Astrobiology)
Iron, w:Heme
w:Coagulation
Voluntary w:Muscle (item) metabolic peculiarities (item, item, item) and the w:neuromuscular junction
w:Connective tissue (w:collagen, w:elastin, w:reticulin)

...

Vitalism - Is vitalism dead? Is mechanicism firmly established? Are all life processes, including consciousness, emotions, feelings (sentiments), and the sense of being oneself (Self) chemical and organic processes and functions, as neurologist António Damásio says ([1], [2], [3])? Is there a life force that drives the processes of the emergence of life on Earth, growth, tissue differentiation, morphogenesis ([4][5]) and of tissue repair? Something like the egyptians Ka ([6]) ? It's true that the controversy between materialism and idealisms has thousands of years and is likely to stay around; but what do you think yourself?

Topics and Learning Materials

Basics

1. The International System of Units, item
2. Nomenclature of organic chemistry,item,
3. w:Logarithms
4. w:Nuclides
5. w:Radioactive decay
6. w:gas laws, Gases and Gas Laws
7. w:Partial pressure and w:mole fraction
8. w:Osmosis
9. w:Diffusion
10. pH (needs a little more)
11. Buffers

Biomolecules -- Structures, classification and properties of:

Laboratory and Analytical Methods

1. Simple (glass) laboratory equipment and how to use it
2. Laboratory safety
3. w:Size exclusion chromatography
4. UV-VIS Spectrometry
5. IR spectrometry
6. Centrifugation and w:Ultracentrifugation
7. w:Electrophoresis
8. w:Chromatography
9. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry
10. Gamma counting
11. Beta counting
12. w:Enzyme assays
13. w:PCR

Metabolic pathways
- Proteins

1. 1. In vivo nucleic acids synthesis
  2. Nucleic acid degradation, pyrimidine and purine catabolism
  3. w:Peptide bond
  4. In vivo protein synthesis
  5. w:Micronutrients and w:Vitamins
  6. w:Enzymes
  7. Regulation of metabolic pathways
  8. Associated: w:Hemoglobin, gas transportation

- Amino acids

1. 1. w:Decarboxylation
  2. w:Transamination
  3. General amino acid synthesis
  4. General amino acid catabolism
  5. Special amino acid metabolism
  6. Amino acid interconversion
  7. w:Urea cycle, item
  8. Gamma-glutamyl cycle
  9. Associated: w:Gout,w:Maple syrup disease

- Carbohydrates

1. 1. w:Glycolysis
  2. Krebs' cycle
  3. w:Pyruvate decarboxylation
  4. The ATP cycle
  5. w:Oxidative phosphorilation
  6. w:C4 carbon fixation
  7. w:Photosynthesis
  8. w:Calvin Cycle
  9. Dickens-Horecker cycle
  10. Hexose interconversions
  11. w:Neoglucogenesis
  12. w:Glycogenesis
  13. w:Glycogenolysis
  14. w:Cori cycle
  15. Carbohydrate regulation mechanism: w:glucagon and w:insulin
  16. Associated: ...

- Lipids

1. 1. w:fatty acids
  2. Essential fatty acids, item, poly-unsaturated fatty acids (w:PUFA); w:eicosanoids: w:prostaglandins, w:thromboxanes, w:prostacyclin and w:leukotrienes.
  3. The w:lipid bilayer, item, and transport across it
  4. w:Lipid peroxidation
  5. Acylglycerols
  6. Triacylglycerols
  7. Sn system
  8. w:Carnitine and membrane transport of fatty acids
  9. w:Fatty acid oxidations
  10. w:Beta oxidation
  11. w:Ketogenesis
  12. Lipid synthesis (w:lipogenesis)
  13. w:Arachidonic acid cascade and the eicosanoids (above)
  14. Associated: ...
  15. w:Lipoproteins and cholesterol
  16. The serum lipoprotein transport system
  17. w:Cholesterol metabolism, regulation and transport
  18. Lipoprotein metabolism
  19. w:Chylomicra and w:VLDL
  20. w:LDL and w:HDL
  21. Regulation of lipoprotein metabolism

w:History of Biochemistry

Books

By alphabetical order of the first author's surname.

General Biochemistry

Garrett, R, Grisham, C. "Biochemistry". Sanders College Publishing. Fort Worth, TX. 1999. ISBN 0-03-022318-0. Online at http://www.web.virginia.edu/Heidi/home.htm

Nelson DL, Cox MM. "Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry". Worth Publishers. New York. 2000. ISBN 1-57259-153-6. http://worthpublishers.com/lehninger

Osgood M, Ocorr K. "The Absolute, Ultimate Guide to Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry Study Guide and Solution Manual". Worth Publishers. New York. 2000. ISBN 9781572591677.

Biochemistry Wikibook

The more general Entrez

Online Biology Book [7] or [8]

Exercises

Other resources

UH tutorial [9]

Interactives [10]