What's it all about?

Biochemistry can be defined as the study of life at the atomic and molecular level. A fundamental principle of biochemistry is that everything that happens within an organism can be explained in terms of the atoms and molecules present, how they interact, and the chemical reactions they undergo.  In this course our focus will be on molecules, interactions, and reactions central to human nutrition. 

We will begin by examining the structure and function of biomolecules, from one of the smallest, H₂O, to macromolecules composed of thousands of atoms. We will see how enzymes and other proteins control the molecular interactions and reactions that occur within the body.

After this survey of biomolecules, we will turn our attention to metabolism, the chemical reactions that enable the living state.  While we will consider a variety of metabolic pathways, the goal is not to completely understand them all.

We will concentrate on catabolic paths that allow us to obtain the energy we need to survive. In this study of metabolism, the primary objective is to understand the  important principles of metabolism and bioenergetics that underlie all of metabolism.

Image fromWikipedia

Ephedrine, one molecule present in the dietary supplement ephedra.  The sale of ephedra was prohibited by the FDA after adverse effects of ephedrine became apparent.

Image from the Swiss-Pdb viewer Art Gallery

A molecule of oxygen (small red bar in center) in the binding site of the transport protein hemoglobin.

One view of major metabolic pathways. Each circle represents a molecule and each line represents a reaction.

Image from the KEGG pathway database

<  A view of leptin, a protein hormone involved in regulation of appetite and fat metabolism.