With the help of this intermediate-level course, you can strengthen your current biochemistry knowledge.
Learn about the dynamics and structure of proteins, the function of hormones and enzymes, and more.
This course will help you get a deeper knowledge of how living systems interact to sustain life by focusing on key components of life, such as amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, polysaccharides, lipids, enzymes, vitamins, homones, and nucleic acids.
In order to better prepare you for future coursework, such as our advanced course Biochemistry III, the course also places a strong emphasis on the structure and function of biological molecules (Biochemical Processes).
Biochemistry I for Plants or Animals or comparable understanding is required.
Lesson Structure
There are 9 lessons in this course:
- Introduction to Biochemical Molecules
- What is Biochemistry?
- Cells – Prokaryote Cells, Eukaryote Cells, Viruses and Prions
- Biomolecules – Proteins, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Nucleic Acids, Vitamins and Co-enzymes, Hormones and Neurotransmitters
- Metabolic Processes – Catabolism and Anabolism
- Amino Acids
- Amino Acids – Biochemical Nomenclature
- Amino Acid Properties – Acidic and Basic, Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic, Polarity of the Side Chain, Amino Acid Polarity and Non-standard Amino Acids
- Genetic Coding of Amino Acids
- Terminology
- Structure of Proteins
- Proteins Functions
- Protein Structure – Primary Structure, Secondary Structure, Tertiary Structure, Quaternary Structure
- Fibrous Proteins – Collagen, Elastin, Keratin, Globular Proteins, Albumin
- Cofactors and Conformation
- Post-Translational Modifications
- Protein Denaturation
- Protein Degradation
- Protein Dynamics
- Protein Folding
- Molecular Chaperones
- Heat Shock Proteins – HSP90, HSP70, HSP60, Small Heat Shock Proteins
- Chaperones
- The Importance of Understanding Protein Structure
- Structural Evolution of Proteins
- Dynamics of Haem Proteins – Haemoglobin Co-operativity
- Sugars and Polysaccharides
- Saccharides – Monosaccharides, Oligosaccharides, Polysaccharides, Lectins
- Polysaccharide Bonds
- Polysaccharide Function – Classification of Monosaccharides, Ring or Chain Types, Complex Sugars
- Monosaccharides – Glucose, Fructose, Galactose
- Disaccharides – Sucrose, Maltose, Lactose
- Polysaccharides – Starch, Dextrin, Glycogen, Cellulose
- Lipids (Fats) and Membranes
- Lipids – Fatty Acids, Triacilgliceroles, Neutral Lipids, Phospholipids, Glycolipids, Terpenoids
- Cholesterol
- Cellular Membranes
- Terminology
- Enzymes, Vitamins and Hormones
- Enzymes – Coenzymes
- Vitamins – Vitamin Classification, Reviewing Vitamin C
- Hormones – Plant Hormones
- DNA and RNA
- Nucleic Acids – Structure of DNA, Types of RNA
- DNA Replication
- Inheritance
- Interesting facts about DNA
- Laboratory Techniques
- Laboratory Health and Safety
- Common Experimental Methods – DNA Methods, Protein Methods, General Methods
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school’s tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
- Explain a variety of biological compounds’ properties.
- Differentiate between many classes of biological compounds.
- Explain the structural traits and other qualities that set typical amino acids apart from one another.
- Describe the architecture of various proteins (both covalent and 3-dimensional).
- Explain typical protein dynamics, such as folding, structural evolution, and the function of haemoglobin.
- Explain the kinetics and structure of various saccharides and polysaccharides.
- Describe the structure and makeup of lipids and membranes.
- Explain the composition and dynamics of various enzyme, vitamin, and hormone types.
- Explain the makeup and purposes of various nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA.
- Recognize some of the fundamental laboratory methods used in biochemistry and understand the significance of lab safety.
DESCRIBE BIOCHEMISTRY
Chemistry is the study of the different substances that make up the physical universe and their interactions. The study of chemical substances containing carbon is known as organic chemistry. Biochemistry is the study of the chemistry of biological creatures and how organic chemical substances react within living cells because “bio” implies “life.” To put it another way, biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes that create, destroy, operate, and repair our bodies and the parts that make them up. The aim of biochemistry is to comprehend the chemical underpinnings of biological processes.
Medicine, nutrition, agriculture, and natural product chemistry are the foundations of biochemistry. Although it covers a wide range of topics, the majority of its focus nowadays is on the chemistry of molecules connected to and found in biological systems, particularly the chemistry of these molecules. In order to comprehend how processes function, how molecules are made or destroyed, and how they link to and affect one another, biochemists constantly attempt to deconstruct processes. Many biochemists now investigate entire systems as well as how each system functions and how it may affect other structures or processes thanks to the development of modern equipment and computer systems.
CELLS
Organisms that are alive display a great level of order. The various processes that make up life are contained within ordered structures that represent this order. If these structured systems are destroyed, life is in danger or is lost. Organs are made of tissues, which are built of cells, which are made of molecules, and tissues are made of molecules. All living things are made up of cells; they are the fundamental ordered structure that can support itself. All cells are made of a double-layered fatty membrane called the plasma membrane and a liquid substance called cytoplasm. The cell wall, a strong outer layer of protection, surrounds this in plants.
Life is characterised by connectedness, in which every molecule connects to another to enable the constant flow of molecules from one state to another. Hence, the various continuing activities that make up life include reproduction, metabolism, reactivity to external factors, evolution, etc. Organelles and cells are composed of molecules. Various cell types and cell groupings perform various activities. As a result, every activity is carried out by connecting and moving molecules between different cell portions and cell groups. It is how the components that make up an organism communicate with one another.
Prokaryote cells and Eukaryote cells are the two different types of cells. Eukaryotes and prokaryotes differ greatly and significantly in that eukaryotes have a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, whereas prokaryotes have not.
Why take this Course?
A logical continuation of either Biochemistry 1 (Humans and Animals) or Biochemistry 1, Biochemistry 11 is (plants). Studying both units will provide you a thorough, well-rounded introduction to biochemistry, which is a terrific approach to get you interested in the subject and give you the chance to continue your studies in this area.
