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Module 1: Introduction energy needs during fight or flight, as

we fasting or skip meals, the stored

to Biochemistry o
energy is used, the glycogen.
In prolonged fasting like during
starvation, the fuel stores are
• The organization of life is also included in converted into kinetic energy in order
which the cell is the smallest unit of life. to survive.
• The important parts of the cell and some other
components of the cell which the structures Branches of Biochemistry
and their functions together with the presence
of non-living molecules like the 1. Structural Biochemistry - is a branch of
macromolecules used to maintain the body biochemistry that deals with the study of
homeostasis. chemical architecture pertaining to biological
• The two types of the cells are included the macromolecules including proteins and
prokaryotes and eukaryotes and how they nucleic acids (DNA and RNA).
differ for each other. 2. Bio-organic Chemistry - is a branch of
biochemistry that deals with the study of
organic compounds (example carbon-carbon
or carbon- hydrogen covalent bonds).This is a
Overview About Biochemistry branch of biochemistry related to classical
biochemicals that gives information to
• Biochemistry deals with the study of understand biological processes based on
chemical processes of living organisms and their structure, chemical bonds, molecular
these are closely related to molecular biology, interactions and how organic molecules react.
the one that studies molecular mechanisms of 3. Enzymology - is a branch of biochemistry
DNA, stores genetic information. that deals with the study of biological
• Biochemistry is a tool to investigate catalysts or enzymes like certain proteins and
molecular biology and it is the one that catalytic RNA and with coenzymes and
bridges the gap between chemistry and cofactors like metals and vitamins.
biology. 4. Metabolic Biochemistry - is a branch of
• Living organisms are made up of structures, biochemistry which is able to know the
which are able to react against stimulus, able different types of metabolic pathways of the
to reproduce, adapt to environment, grow, and cell. It also studies cellular chemical reactions
react to maintain the homeostasis. that make it possible to have healthy organic
• Biomolecules like lipids, carbohydrates, biochemical indices, the molecular basis of
proteins, and nucleic acids are needed of molecular diseases or the intermediate flows
every living organism in order to survive life. globally.
o These macromolecules are necessary
5. Xenobiotics - is a branch of biochemistry that
to a cell structure and perform their deals with the study of metabolic behavior of
functions made up of complex compounds which is the chemical structure
molecules known as polymers made not in a proper with regular metabolism.
up of monomer subunits. Pharmacology uses an application by using a
• Carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins are the substance for diagnosis, prevention, to treat
major fuels of the living organisms which are and aids to relieve symptoms of a disease to
obtained from the diet and are stored in the be less invasive and more effective opposing
body for future use. specific to the target substances.
o The three food macromolecules are
6. Immunology is on how an organism reacts
used after digestion, and absorption of with other organisms like in bacteria and
food. viruses. The study deals with the development
o After a meal the food we ingested is
and behavior studies of antibody production.
used for fuel in order to meet the 7. Endocrinology- is the study of the internal
secretions known as hormones produced by

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specialized cells that affect the function of Cells and its Organization
other cells.
8. Neurochemistry- study about organic
molecules used for neural activity which is
being used for neurotransmitters and many
others such as neuro-active drugs used for
neural function.
9. Chemotaxonomy - studies the classification
and identification of bodies based on their
differences and similarities at their chemical
composition. The study about phospholipids,
proteins, peptides, glycosides, alkaloids, and
terpenes.
10. Chemical ecology - study about chemical
compounds in relation to biological origin • The cell is the smallest unit of life. There are
that involves interactions of living organisms. trillions of cells inside the human body. Cells
It deals with the production and response to are the basic unit of living organisms and are
signaling molecules and compounds used for
able to replicate. These cells are made up of
survival and other organisms' reproduction. DNA. Which the genome is the total DNA of
11. Virology and areas of biology which are the cell. Individual units of heredity control
being used to study elementary biosystems the traits by coding for functional protein, the
which are viruses. It deals with recognizing RNA. Many cells build tissue, these tissues
the potential drugs and vaccines in order to build organs and many organs to form an
prevent it either directly or expansion. organ system.
12. Molecular genetics and Genetic • The one that first discovered cells in 1665 was
engineering deals with the study of genes, Robert Hook. The Latin word for cell is cella
heritage and expression. It deals with the meaning small rooms.
study of DNA and RNA that uses tools and
• The theory of cell was first developed in 1839
powerful techniques like PCR and its variants by Matthias Jakob Schleiden and Theodore
used for mass sequencers, translation and Swann, states that all organisms are made up
transcription by extracting DNA and RNA of one or more cells which comes from
which is either in vivo and in vitro, and preexisting cells, within the cell the vital
restriction enzymes. DNA ligases are being functions occur which all cells are made of
used if the DNA is replicated, transcribed and heredity information which are used for cell
translated through protein synthesis. functions regulating and transmit information
13. Molecular biology is a scientific discipline to the next cell generation.
that deals with the study of processes that
happen in living organisms. It deals with the
behavior of biological macromolecules like
the DNA, RNA, enzymes, hormones and
many others inside the cell and tells about its Types of Cells
biological functions.
• There are two types of cells. These are the
14. Cell biology deals with the study of the
morphology and physiology of prokaryotic prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
and eukaryotic cells.
Prokaryotes (pro-before and karyon-nucleus) made
up of single celled organisms, closed, circular
molecules of DNA include bacteria and archaea
without the presence of nucleus or any other bound
organelle.

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o The DNA in prokaryotes is found at the Structural Biochemistry / Cell Organelles
central part of the cell known as nucleoid
which is directly located in the cytoplasm as • Structural biochemistry has an important
it allows the DNA able to contact with the cell role in the functions of the cell organism.
membrane. Through the structures and functions of the
various parts and the presence of four large
macromolecules such as lipids,
carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and lipids which
are essential components of the cell in order
to perform and maintain the homeostasis.
• Organelles refer to “little organs” and these
organelles have their specialized cellular
functions like the organs inside the human
body with specialized functions.
o Organelles are the components of the
cell used for proper survival of the cell
and its propagation.

What are the most important organelles?

Eukaryotic On the other hand, the eukaryotic cell Nucleus is the most important eukaryotic organelle.
(the “true nucleus”, a single cell or a multicellular cell Nucleus is surrounded by a nuclear double membrane
and the examples are the animal cells, plants cells, (nuclear envelope) which is the nucleolus as the most
fungi, and protists. prominent feature which is rich in RNA.

• The Archaea (eukaryotes) and bacteria o The RNA is synthesized with the
(prokaryotes) both have cell walls which are DNA template in the nucleolus in
made of peptidoglycan made up of sugars order to export into the cytoplasm
and amino acids and with polysaccharide through opening of the nuclear
capsules. membrane.
• There are some prokaryotes with flagella, pili o The main eukaryotic genome (DNA)
or fimbriae. is duplicated before cell division.
o This flagella is being used for o Genes are responsible to transmit the
locomotion, pili to exchange genetic inherited traits, which are found inside
material during reproduction which is the DNA which is found in each
known as conjugation. chromosome.
• Prokaryotic cells are smaller compared to
eukaryotic cells. Because of the small size of Mitochondrion the second important eukaryotic
prokaryotes, ions and organic molecules organelle is the mitochondrion (plural, mitochondria)
allow them to move quickly and spread to the like the nucleus with a double membrane.
other parts of the cell as the wastes produced
move out the cell. • The outer membrane of the mitochondria is
• On the other hand, larger eukaryotic cells are called a cristae that exhibits many folds. The
different. Because of their size, in order to matrix which is the space within the inner
enhance cellular transport, they need to have membrane.
different structural adaptations. As this cell o Oxidation happens inside the
becomes larger, they have difficulty acquiring mitochondria in order to yield more
sufficient materials to process inside the cell energy to the cell which enzymes are
because the relative size declines to transport necessary for these chemical
on the surface area across the membrane. reactions.

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o The DNA which is differ found inside pass through freely but limited, extent
the nucleus, found at the internal or not to pass through the cell.
mitochondrial matrix. • The cell surface membrane is also made up of
receptor proteins let to detect the external
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) which is attached signaling molecule like hormones.
to the cell membrane and to the nuclear envelope.
Which occur into two forms which are the rough and Golgi Apparatus
smooth ER.
• The golgi apparatus (Golgi Complex), a
o The rough endoplasmic reticulum membrane- bound organelle appearing as the
with the presence of ribosomes bound series of flattened, membrane sacs, looks like
to the membrane and these ribosomes a stack of pancakes in the rough endoplasmic
are found freely in the cytosol, the reticulum.
liquid found inside the cells which o The golgi apparatus is like a post
organelles, proteins, and other office or a warehouse for the newly
structures of the cell float, sits during formed proteins used to transport,
protein synthesis in every organism. modify, and package proteins and
o The smooth endoplasmic reticulum is lipids with the target destination.
not bound with ribosomes.
Peroxisomes
What are some other important components of
cells? • Peroxisomes made up of enzymes which are
used to remove hydrogen atoms came from
Cell Membrane (Plasma Membrane) the substrates.
• Hydrogen peroxide is created if the free
hydrogen atoms bind with oxygen.
• Peroxisome is important in the liver because
it detoxifies harmful compounds.

Lysosomes

• Lysosomes are membranous sacs which are


used to hydrolyze macromolecules used for
intracellular digestion.
• The single-celled organism is the case of
• The cell membrane is the one that surrounds amoeba, which uses the lysosome to digest
the cell in which the cytoplasm of the cell is food products through phagocytosis.
surrounded by this membrane. o Phagocytosis happens among humans
• Plants a eukaryote and bacteria a prokaryote used to defend or destroy the bacteria
cover with a cell wall aside from the cell or invaders.
membrane. • Lysosomes are used to recycle the own
• The cell membrane is made up of double layer material of the cell which is known as
lipids (hydrophobic fat-like molecules) and autophagy.
hydrophilic molecules of phosphorus known o Damaged organelles are broken down
as phospholipid bilayer which is also known in the lysosome and the organic
as fluid mosaic membrane. monomer is go back into the cytosol
• Plasma membrane having different protein to reuse. In this way the cell is
molecules used as channels and pumps in constantly renewing itself.
order to move in and out of the cell.
o It is a semi-permeable membrane
which ions or molecules are able to

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