| Chem 431 |
Biochemistry |
Fall 2007 |
| Lecture Notes: 20 August |
© R. Paselk 2007 |
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Introduction
Who am I?
- Education in Biophysics (NMR of Proteins etc in Grad Sch)
- Current favorite biochem topics are metabolism and its control,
protein folding, genesis and fate of cell components, and precambrian
life.
- Also teach Biochemical Toxicology; Chemical Instrumentation
and all intro Chem courses
- Interests in history of science and technology, particularly
scientific instrumentation and apparatus (Museum in Library,
office and on Web), and natural history museum exhibits.
How to study:
Notes are key-nearly everything you
will need to know I will cover in lecture. So how can you get
the most out of your notes?
Don't rely on/be seduced by on-line notes.
Weekly Review on web: Look at Review
page on internet for weekly topics and homework suggestions (this will probably be somewhat intermitent).
Course intent - to understand Life at the molecular level:
- Lecture will focus on Black box biochemistry-describe system, but not much about
how we got to know what we know.
- Lecture exams will emphasize biological systems and how they work. They will not cover lab material.
- Lab will focus on how we know what we know, both in experiments and in lab lectures. Of course we will create linkages between the two.
- How we know will be covered in lab exams, write-ups etc.
You will be expected to do some synthesis and problem solving
in doing this course.
Biochemistry focuses on a limited range of areas within the
manifestation of life, but as we shall see this range is still
vast:
- The chemical properties and 3-D structures of biomolecules.
- The interactions of biomolecules with each other and with
inorganic molecules and ions.
- The synthesis and degradation of substances by organisms.
- Energy use and storage by organisms.
- The organization and regulation of biochemical systems.
- The molecular mechanisms of the storage, transmission and
expression of biological information.
In this course I will focus on these issues in eukaryotes,
specifically humans, because I want you to understand a functional
system with all of the regulation etc. it requires. We will look
at eukaryotes because they involve intracellular compartmentation
and humans because I want a system with multiple intercommunicating
organs and cell types, and because the human system is probably
the best understood eukaryote system.
We will largely ignore biological information (#6 above) since
most of you will cover that in your Biology courses, particularly
genetics.
The Characteristics of Life
- Chemical complexity and extraordinary organization on the microscopic level.
- Systematic extraction, transformation and utilization of environmental energy.
- Mechanisms for precise self-replication and self-assembly.
- Sensory-response systems.
- Defined component functions and regulatory interactions.
- Redundancy.
- A history of and capacity for evolutionary change.
Last modified 20 August 2007
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