MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION TO
BIOCHEMISTRY
Justin Brian Chiongson, M. Sc., RCh
Relicardo M. Coloso, Ph. D., RCh
BIOCHEMISTRY
• chemistry of life processes
• Study of life at the molecular level
• Studying the chemical processes of living
organisms
BIOCHEMISTRY
3 primary areas of biochemistry:
1. Structural and functional biochemistry
- focuses initially on discovering the chemical
structures and three-dimensional arrangements
of biomolecules (protein, carbohydrates, lipids,
nucleic acids), those chemicals that are found in
living matter
2. Informational biochemistry
- defines the language(s) for storing biological
data and for transmitting that data in cells and
organisms.
BIOCHEMISTRY
3. Bioenergetics
- describes the flow of energy in living
organisms and how it may be transferred
from one process to another.
History of Biochemistry
• The Chinese in the fourth century B.C.
believed that humans contained five
elements: water, fire, wood, metal, and earth.
• When all elements were present in proper
balance, good health resulted. An imbalance
in the elements caused illness.
History of Biochemistry
• The early Greeks, including Plato (428–348 B.C.),
attempted to explain the body in terms of
cosmological theories and stressed diet for
treatment of disease.
• The Greek term for digestion, pepsis, a word
indicating inner heat, is the origin of the word
pepsin, a digestive enzyme.
• The history of biochemistry can be said to have
started with ancient Greeks who were interested
in the composition and processes of life.
History of Biochemistry
• The Greek physician Galen (A.D. 129–199)
campaigned for a pharmacological approach using
plant and animal products for disease treatment.
• Paracelsus (A.D. 1493–1541) asserted that man is
made out of the same material as the rest of
creation.
• Chinese physicians discovered in the seventh
century A.D. that night blindness could be treated
with pig and sheep livers.
History of Biochemistry
• Fredrich Wöhler (1800-1882) demonstrated in
1828 that urea, a compound that had only
been associated with living cells, could be
synthesized from an inorganic compound
outside of the cell.
• 1903: Neuberg defined Biochemistry as the
CHEMISTRY OF LIFE
Timeline for Development of
Biochemistry/Cell Biology
Development of Biochemistry/
Cell Biology
Development of Biochemistry/
Cell Biology
Most recent breakthroughs –
Gene editing and Gene therapy
Origins of life on earth
• About 4 billion years ago, life arose on earth
• Simple organisms that were able to extract
energy from organic compounds or from
sunlight, which they used to make more
complex biomolecules from the simple
elements and compounds on the surface of
the earth.
BIOCHEMISTRY
Attributes of Life – distinguishing features of
living organisms
1. High degree of Complexity and Organization
2. Possess a characteristic size and shape
3. Growth and Repair
4. Reproduction
5. Metabolism
6. Adaptation
7. Regulation
BIOCHEMISTRY
Attributes of Life
8. Response to stimuli or sensitivity
9. Locomotion
10.Variation and Change
11. Stereospecificity
12. Systems for extracting, transforming,
and using energy from the environment
BIOCHEMISTRY
Chemicals of Life
• Water
Human cells (70%), Blood (80%), whole body
(60-70%)
• Organic Compounds
Nucleic Acids, Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fats and
Lipids
• Inorganic Compounds
Bulk elements: N, Na, Mg, P, S, Cl, K, and Ca
Trace elements: Fe, Zn, I, Ar, Br, Mo, V
Functional Groups
Biomolecules
-compounds of
carbon with a
variety of
functional groups
Nelson and Cox 2005
BIOCHEMISTRY
• Small molecules:
– Lipid, phospholipid, glycolipid, sterol,
– Vitamin
– Hormone, neurotransmitter
– Carbohydrate, sugar
• Monomers:
– Amino acids
– Nucleotides
– Monosaccharides
• Polymers:
– Peptides, oligopeptides, polypeptides, proteins
– Nucleic acids, i.e. DNA, RNA
– Oligosaccharides, polysaccharides (including cellulose)
Chemistry of carbon
• Carbon is a tetravalent atom
• Carbon can form single,
double, and triple bonds
• Carbon atoms are able to
bond together to form long
chains and rings.
Nelson and Cox 200