Biochemistry

Code

Course teacher

Associate teachers

Status of the course

Course objectives

During this course the students learn the basis of biochemistry.

Course enrolment requirements and entry competences required for the course

First year of study.

Learning outcomes expected at the level of the course (4 to 10 learning outcomes)

- Understand the basic principles of protein structure and their impact on the structure of biological function.
- Understand the basic principles of enzyme kinetics and inhibition of enzyme activity.
- Know and explain the basic concepts and principles of metabolism.
- Know and explain the structure of biological membranes.
- Understand the structure and biological function of nucleic acids.
- Understand the ways of conducting signals in living organisms.

Course content broken down in detail by weekly class schedule (syllabus)

History of biochemistry (1 hour) . Elementary constitution of living organisms (1 hour). Water, bioelements, biomolecules and kinds of chemical bonds in living organisms. Exchanges of energy between cell and environment (2 hours). Amino acid (1 hour). Peptides and proteins (1 hour). Structure, chemical and biological properties of proteins (2 hours). Myoglobin and hemoglobin (2 hours). Enzymes (1 hour). Enzyme catalysis and regulation of biochemical processes (2 hours). Nonprotein catalysts: ribosimes, coenzymes and vitamins (1 hour). Carbohydrates and Glycoconjugates. Chemical properties nad biological role of carbohydrates (3 hours). Lipids. Fats, phospholipids, glycolipids and sphingolipids: chemical properties and biological role (2 hours). Biomembranes. Common features of biological membranes. Membrane proteins and membrane transport (2 hours). Purine and pyrimidine bases, nucleosides, nucleotides, nucleic acid, chemical and physical properties (2 hours). Structure and biological properties of RNA and DNA (1 hour). The discoveries of RNA and DNA (2 hours). Energy in biological systems. ATP as the universal currency of free energy in biologic systems. Electrochemical and concentrational gradients. Ireversible and reversible processes. A thermodynamically unfavorable reaction can be driven by a favorable one (3 hours). Metabolism: basic concepts and design (1 hour). Carbohydrate catabolism - glycolysis (1 hour). Fatty acid catabolism - -oxidation (1 hour). Protein catabolism - amino acid catabolism and the urea cycle (1 hour). Citric acid cycle. Oxidative phosphorylation (2 hour). Basic principles of cell signaling (3 hours).
Laboratory exercises: Acid-base properties of amino acids (6 hours). Qualitative and quantitative determination of proteins (6 hours). Enzymes (6 hours). Isolation and detection of lipids and phospholipids (6 hours). Qualitative detection of carbohydrates (6 hours).

Format of instruction:

Student responsibilities

Class attendance, perform lab exercises and preparation of seminar papers