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1. BCH 400/600 –
Introductory Biochemistry
Instructor: David Shintani
Office: 311C Fleischmann Ag.
Lab: 308 Fleischmann Ag.
E-mail: shintani@unr.edu
Phone: (775) 784-4631

2. What is Biochemistry?
• Biochemistry = chemistry of life.
• Biochemists use physical and
chemical principles to explain
biology at the molecular level.
• Basic principles of biochemistry are
common to all living organism

3. How does biochemistry
impact you?
• Medicine
• Agriculture
• Industrial applications
• Environmental applications

4. Principle Areas of
Biochemistry
• Structure and function of biological
macromolecules
• Metabolism – anabolic and catabolic
processes.
• Molecular Genetics – How life is
replicated. Regulation of protein
synthesis

5. Life Before Biochemistry

6. Once upon a time, a long long time ago…..
Vitalism: idea that substances and processes
associated with living organisms did not
behave according to the known laws of
physics and chemistry
Evidence:
1) Only living things have a high degree of
complexity
2) Only living things extract, transform and
utilize energy from their environment
3) Only living things are capable of self
assembly and self replication

7. Origins of Biochemistry:
A challenge to “Vitalism.”
Famous Dead Biochemist!

8. Fallacy #1: Biochemicals can only be
produced by living organisms
•1828 Friedrich Wohler
•Dead Biochemist #1

9. Fallacy #2: Complex bioconversion of
chemical substances require living
matter
•1897 Eduard Buchner
Dead Biochemists #2
Glucose + Dead Yeast = Alcohol

10. • Emil Fischer
Fallacy #2: Complex
bioconversion of chemical
substances require living matter
Dead Biochemists #3

11. Fallacy #2: Complex
bioconversion of chemical
substances require living matter
Dead Biochemists #4
1926 J.B. Sumner

12. Findings of other famous dead biochemist
• 1944 Avery, MacLeod and McCarty identified
DNA as information molecules
• 1953 Watson (still alive) and Crick proposed the
structure of DNA
• 1958 Crick proposed the central dogma of
biology

13. Organization of Life
• elements
• simple organic compounds (monomers)
• macromolecules (polymers)
• supramolecular structures
• organelles
• cells
• tissues
• organisms

14. Range of the
sizes of objects
studies by
Biochemist and
Biologist
1 angstrom = 0.1 nm

15. Most abundant, essential for all organisms: C, N, O, P, S, H
Less abundant, essential for all organisms : Na, Mg, K, Ca, Cl
Trace levels, essential for all organism: Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn
Trace levels, essential for some organisms: V, Cr, Mo, B, Al, Ga, Sn, Si,
As, Se, I,
Elements of Life

16. Important compounds, functional groups

17. Many Important Biomolecules are Polymers
p r o t e i n c o m p le x
p r o t e in s u b u n it
a m i n o a c id
m e m b r a n e
p h o s p h o lip id
f a t t y a c id
c e ll w a ll
c e llu lo se
g lu co se
c h r o m o s o m e
D N A
n u c le o tid emonomer
polymer
supramolecular
structure
lipids proteins carbo nucleic acids

18. Lipids
m e m b r a n e
p h o s p h o lip id
f a t t y a c idmonomer
polymer
supramolecular
structure

19. Proteins
monomer
polymer
supramolecular
structure Enzyme complex
protein subunit
amino acid

20. Carbohydrates
c e ll w a ll
c e llu lo se
g lu co semonomer
polymer
supramolecular
structure

21. c h r o m a t in
D N A
n u c le o ti d emonomer
polymer
supramolecular
structure
Nucleic Acids

22.
Common theme:
Monomers form
polymers through
condensations
Polymers are broken
down through
hydrolysis.

24. Prokaryote Cell

25. Cellular Organization
of an E. coli Cell
200 – 300 mg protein / mL cytoplasm

26. Eukaryote Cell