- Biochemistry 2

Catalog description

This course focuses mainly on bioenergetics and metabolism. Bioenergetics is the quantitative study of energy conversions in biological systems following the laws of thermodynamics. The focus is on the chemical reactions of the central metabolic pathways which are common to all forms of life. These pathways involve multienzymatic reactions that result in the degradation and synthesis of the different biological molecules at steady state conditions. The role of ATP and its production through glycolysis, citric acid cycle, Beta oxidation, urea cycle, oxidative deamination, transamination, electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation is explored in detail. The analysis of the control and integration of these pathways are also described. Emphasis is on energy coupling of reactions in biological systems and the thermodynamic properties of the reactions such as entropy (delta S), enthalpy (delta H) and free energy (delta G) and how they determine reaction spontaneity. The students will also be instructed in critical reading and analysis skills of original scientific, biochemical articles.