Biochemistry is the study of the chemical Chemistry (from Arabic:الكيم Latinized: chem , meaning "earth") is the science concerned with the composition, behavior, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions. It is a physical science for studies of various atoms, molecules, crystals and other aggregates of matter whether processes in living organisms The term "organism" first appeared in the English language in 1701 and took on its current definition by 1834 (Oxford English Dictionary). It deals with the structure Structure is a fundamental and sometimes intangible notion covering the recognition, observation, nature, and stability of patterns and relationships of entities. From a child's verbal description of a snowflake, to the detailed scientific analysis of the properties of magnetic fields, the concept of structure is an essential foundation of nearly and function of cellular components such as proteins Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and folded into a globular form. The amino acids in a polymer are joined together by the peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid residues. The sequence of amino acids in a protein is defined by the sequence of a gene, which is encoded, carbohydrates A carbohydrate is an organic compound with general formula Cmn, that is, consisting only of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, the last two in the 2:1 atom ratio. Carbohydrates can be viewed as hydrates of carbon, hence their name, lipids Lipids are a broad group of naturally-occurring molecules which includes fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins , monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The main biological functions of lipids include energy storage, as structural components of cell membranes, and as important signaling molecules, nucleic acids A nucleic acid is a macromolecule composed of chains of monomeric nucleotides. In biochemistry these molecules carry genetic information or form structures within cells. The most common nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid (RNA). Nucleic acids are universal in living things, as they are found in all cells and viruses and other biomolecules A biomolecule is any organic molecule that is produced by a living organism, including large polymeric molecules such as proteins, polysaccharides, and nucleic acids as well as small molecules such as primary metabolites, secondary metabolites, and natural products.
Among the vast number of different biomolecules, many are complex and large molecules (called polymers A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units typically connected by covalent chemical bonds. While polymer in popular usage suggests plastic, the term actually refers to a large class of natural and synthetic materials with a variety of properties), which are composed of similar repeating subunits (called monomers A monomer is a small molecule that may become chemically bonded to other monomers to form a polymer. The most common natural monomer is glucose, which is linked by glycosidic bonds into polymers such as cellulose and starch, and is over 76% of the weight of all plant matter). Each class of polymeric biomolecule has a different set of subunit types.[1] For example, a protein Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and folded into a globular form. The amino acids in a polymer are joined together by the peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid residues. The sequence of amino acids in a protein is defined by the sequence of a gene, which is encoded is a polymer whose subunits are selected from a set of 20 or more amino acids Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side chain that varies between different amino acids. These molecules are particularly important in biochemistry, where this term refers to alpha-amino acids with the general formula H2NCHRCOOH, where R is an organic substituent. In the alpha amino acids, the amino. Biochemistry studies the chemical properties of important biological molecules, like proteins, and in particular the chemistry of enzyme Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called substrates, and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, called the products. Almost all processes in a biological cell need enzymes to occur at significant rates. Since enzymes are selective for their-catalyzed Catalysis is the process in which the rate of a chemical reaction is either increased or decreased by means of a chemical substance known as a catalyst. Unlike other reagents that participate in the chemical reaction, a catalyst is not consumed by the reaction itself. The catalyst may participate in multiple chemical transformations. Catalysts reactions A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. They are studied by chemists under a field of science called chemistry. Chemical reactions can be either spontaneous, requiring no input of energy, or non-spontaneous, often coming about only after the input of some type of energy, viz.
The biochemistry of cell The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. Some organisms, such as most bacteria, are unicellular . Other organisms, such as humans, are multicellular. (Humans have an estimated 100 trillion metabolism Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in living organisms to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories. Catabolism breaks down organic matter, for example to harvest energy in cellular and the endocrine system The endocrine system is a group of glands that work together and secrete many types of different hormones that regulate the body. The field of study that deals with disorders of endocrine glands is endocrinology, a branch of the wider field of internal medicine has been extensively described. Other areas of biochemistry include the genetic code The genetic code is the set of rules by which information encoded in genetic material is translated into proteins (amino acid sequences) by living cells. The code defines a mapping between tri-nucleotide sequences, called codons, and amino acids. A triplet codon in a nucleic acid sequence usually specifies a single amino acid (though in some cases (DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information. DNA is often compared to a set of blueprints or a recipe, or a code, since it contains the instructions needed, RNA Ribonucleic acid is a biologically important type of molecule that consists of a long chain of nucleotide units. Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate. RNA is very similar to DNA, but differs in a few important structural details: in the cell, RNA is usually single-stranded, while DNA is usually double-), protein synthesis Protein synthesis is the process in which cells build proteins. The term is sometimes used to refer only to protein translation but more often it refers to a multi-step process, beginning with amino acid synthesis and transcription of nuclear DNA into messenger RNA which is then used as input to translation, cell membrane The cell membrane is the biological membrane separating the interior of a cell from the outside environment transport In cellular biology the term membrane transport refers to the collection of mechanisms that regulate the passage of solutes such as ions and small molecules through biological membranes namely lipid bilayers that contain proteins embedded in them. The regulation of passage through the membrane is due to selective membrane permeability a, and signal transduction In biology, signal transduction refers to any process by which a cell converts one kind of signal or stimulus into another. Most processes of signal transduction involve ordered sequences of biochemical reactions inside the cell, which are carried out by enzymes and activated by second messengers, resulting in a signal transduction pathway. Such.
Since all known life forms that are still alive today are descended from the same common ancestor In evolutionary biology, a group of organisms have common descent if they have a common ancestor. According to modern biology, all living organisms on Earth are descended from a common ancestor or ancestral gene pool, they have generally similar biochemistries.[2][3]
It remains unknown whether alternative types of biochemistries The hypothetical types of biochemistry are the different types of speculative biochemistries of alien life forms that differ radically from those known on Earth. It includes biochemistries that use elements other than carbon for its basic structural and physiological functions and/or use solvents other than water. Theories about extraterrestrial are possible, or practical, given the chemical elements A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. The term is also used to refer to a pure chemical substance composed of atoms with the same number of protons. Common examples of elements are iron, copper, silver, gold, hydrogen, carbon, composing the matter Matter is a term that traditionally refers to the substance that all objects are made of. The common way to identify this "substance" is through its physical properties; a common definition of matter is anything that has mass and occupies a volume. However, this definition has to be revised in light of quantum mechanics, where the of the Universe The Universe comprises everything we perceive to physically exist, the entirety of space and time, all forms of matter and energy, and the physical laws and constants that govern them. However, the term Universe may be used in slightly different contextual senses, denoting such concepts as the cosmos, the world, or Nature. An emerging thesis, called "carbon chauvinism Carbon chauvinism is a relatively new term meant to disparage the assumption that extraterrestrial life will resemble life on Earth. In particular, it would be applied to those who assume that the molecules responsible for the chemical processes of life must be constructed primarily from carbon. It suggests that, as carbon-based life forms who," holds that only carbon-based compounds are available to be part of a real biochemistry.
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Stig E. Bojesen, MD, Ph.D., of the Department of Clinical Biochemistry , Herlev Hospital, and Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues used ...
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Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry 5E
B.M. Gupta
Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:36:44 GM
This study attempts to analyse the research profile of . biochemistry. , genetics and molecular biology research in India during 1998-2007, country's performance based on its research output, its publication share and rank in global context ...
Q. I'm trying to do a college search based on possible majors and it's a little difficult to pick which ones might cover what I want to major in, you know? I originally wanted to major in microbiology but so few colleges offer it so I'm trying to branch into other options. I heard that molecular biology and biochemistry are a lot like microbio, but I just wanted some verification. Thanks!
Asked by Danielle - Wed Jul 29 19:23:19 2009 - - 3 Answers - 0 Comments
A. Microbiology is the study of microscopic organisms such as bacteria and viruses. Molecular biology deals with biology on a microscopic level, such as DNA transcription and translation. Both micro and molecular bio are overlapping. What you learn in one course, such as micro, may be covered in molecular bio as well. Biochem is similar to both of the subjects but requires that more knowledge of chemistry be applied. If you like science, I'm sure you'll enjoy all three.
Answered by itsjustme - Wed Jul 29 19:39:12 2009
