Biological Sciences 102-Biochemisty: Structure & Function of Biomolecules

LECTURES:

1.    Introduction:  Cellular Diversity.  Biochemical unity of cells.  Biomolecules.  H₂O and weak bonds.

2.    Basic Bioenergetics:  Reaction equilibria, free energy, and nucleotide hydrolysis.

3.    Acid-Base Chemistry:  Polyprotic acids, Henderson-Haselbach equations, buffers.

4.    Nucleic Acid Biochemistry: DNA and RNA

5.    Amino Acids:  The 20 standard amino acids.

6.    Introduction to Proteins:  Protein purification.  Protein Sequencing.

7.    Secondary and tertiary structure of proteins

8.    Tertiary and Quaternary structure of proteins

9.    Protein assemblies: Viruses, Cytoskeletal fibers.

10.  Ligand binding to proteins: (I): Oxygen binding to myoglobin.

11.  Ligand binding to proteins: (II): Oxygen binding to hemoglobin.

12.  Introduction to enzymes:  Effects on reaction rates/equilibria, free energy, and

       activation energy.  Acid-base and covalent catalysis.

13.  Enzyme kinetics I:  Enzyme purification and assay.  Michaelis Menten Kinetics.

       Km, Kcat, Vmax, Enzyme efficiency.

14.  Enzyme kinetics II:  Multisubstrate reactions, enzyme inhibitors.

15.  Mechanism of enzyme action:  Chymotrypsin

16.  Biochemistry of Motor Proteins (I):

            Motility Mechanisms

                        Sliding Filaments

                        Particle Transport

                        Rotary Motors

17.  Biochemistry of Motor Proteins (II):

            Mechanisms of action of Myosin

            Mechanism of action of Kinesin

18.  Lipids and Membranes (I):

            Lipids-Triacylglycerides

            Glycerolphospholipids

            Sphingolipids

            Sterols

            Self Assembly of Lipids-Critical Micellar Concentration

19.  Lipids and Membranes (II):

            Biological Membranes

                        Fluid mosaic lipid bilayer

                        Membrane proteins

                        Transport across membranes