Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Introduction to the chemical reactions of the cell; chemistry, energy, and metabolism; structure of proteins and membranes; the structure of proteins; the cell membrane - a structure depending only on weak forces; metabolism; digestion and absorption of food; preliminary outline of fuel distribution and utilization by the different tissues of the body; biochemical mechanisms involved in food transport, storage and mobilization; energy production from foodstuffs - a preliminary overview; glycosis, the citric acid cycle, and the electron transport system - reactions involved in these pathways; energy production from fat; a switch from catabolic to anabolic metabolism - first the synthesis of fat and related compounds in the body; synthesis of glucose in the body (gluconeogenesis); strategies for metabolic control and their applications to carbohydrate and fat metabolism; why should there be an alternative pathway of glucose oxidation? - the pentose phosphate pathway; raising electrons of water back up the energy scale - photosynthesis; amino acid metabolism; garbage disposal units inside cells; enzymic protective mechanisms in the body; nucleotide metabolism; information storage and utilization; DNA - its structure and arrangement in cells; DNA synthesis and repair; gene transcription - the first step in the mechanism by which genes direct protein synthesis; protein synthesis, intracellular transport, and degradation; gene cloning, recombinant DNA technology, genetic engineering; the immune system; chemical signalling in the body; transport of oxygen and CO2; the red blood cell and the role of haemoglobin; mechanical work by cells; muscle contraction; the role of the cytoskeleton in shape determination of cells and in mechanical work in cells; answers to problems.