Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

This subject is an introduction to the field of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, building on 1st year chemical principles relating molecular structure to biological function. The content includes a detailed introduction to the structure of biological building blocks (amino acids, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and lipids). The subject covers the structure and function of proteins, including the properties of enzymes, their regulation and kinetic behaviour. How nucleic acids replicate information, are maintained and repaired and serve as a template for the synthesis of RNAs and proteins (i.e. molecular biology) is addressed. The structure of lipids is examined to show their major biological roles, particularly as components of cell membranes. Metabolic pathways (glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, glycogen metabolism, TCA cycle and oxidative phosphorylation) will complete this core coverage of essential biochemistry. The subject is designed to stand alone, but it complements the laboratory experiences in the subject BCMB20005 “Techniques in Molecular Science”, Each of these level-2 subjects can be taken independently, concurrently or in either order.

学习生物体的化学过程和分子机制。

• 1Explain the covalent, non-covalent and thermodynamic contributions to the structure and function of biomolecules (proteins, nucleic acids, lipids & carbohydrates).
• 2Generate and interpret pictorial representations of biomolecules.
• 3Apply mathematical models to analyse the function of biomolecules (e.g. chemical equilibria, ligand binding, enzyme kinetics and hydropathy index).
• 4Analyse nucleic acid and amino acid sequences to predict structural properties and evolutionary relationships.
• 5Discuss the molecular basis of chromosome structure, heredity, gene transcription and translation, DNA repair and cell cycle.
• 6Describe how extracellular signals are transmitted across membranes and become amplified in the cell
• 7Describe how lipid and protein composition affect the structural and functional properties of biological membranes.
• 8Explain how the linkage of monosaccharides gives rise to the structural and functional diversity of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides
• 9Compare and contrast cellular energy metabolism under anaerobic and aerobic conditions.
• 10Predict the changes in flow of metabolites in response to hormonal regulation and gene mutations.