BSc Medical Physiology with a Modern Language

This unit provides you with a grounding in the basic principles of Biochemistry. It aims to provide an understanding of the basic chemical properties of molecules that make life possible and a description of the key components of the cell and their biochemical interactions. You will learn about the processes that allow energy to be harvested from sunlight, converted and stored in food and released to drive biochemical reactions within cells.

To provide grounding in the basic principles of Biochemistry for students in Life Sciences. To provide a description of the principal components of cells. To demonstrate how energy is harvested from sunlight, converted and stored in food and then released into high-energy compounds capable of driving biochemical reactions.

To understand: basic chemical properties of molecules that make life possible, and how these properties relate to specific macromolecular structures and functions; proteins and cell membrane structure. Structural proteins, enzymes and macromolecular complexes as protein machines will be understood. An introduction to biochemical and biophysical methods will be given. The functions of mitochondria and chloroplasts in oxidative phosphorylation and photosynthesis respectively will be discussed as well as how energy can be released during catabolism and how it can be stored during anabolism.

Chemistry of Life: geometry of covalent bonds, key functional groups, characteristics and importance of noncovalent interactions; properties of water, pH and buffering; carbohydrate and nucleic acid structure

Protein structure: amino acids, primary, secondary, tertiary and quarternary structure

Biological membranes: types and structure of lipids; fluid mosaic model, phospholipid bilayer, membrane fluidity and the role of cholesterol, proteins in membranes, use of detergents to solubilize cell membranes and membrane proteins.

Enzymes: thermodynamics of catalysis, types and mechanisms of enzymes, substrate binding, active site, specificity and rate of reaction, effect of temperature, pH, concentration, Michaelis-Menten, Lineweaver-Burk, enzyme inhibition/regulation: reversible, non-reversible, allosteric molecules.

Biochemical and biophysical methods: Protein folding, the Levinthal paradox, diseases in protein folding. Protein purification and detection methods, chromatography, electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, use of antibodies.

Metabolism and bioenergetics: concept of high energy carriers, ATP, acetyl CoA, and co-factors NAD+, NADP+, catabolism and anabolism, free energy changes, glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, glycogen breakdown, gluconeogenesis, fatty acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism.

Electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation: the mitochondrion and the chemiosmotic theory, proton motive force and the production of ATP, ATP synthase.

Photosynthesis: the chloroplast, light capturing pigments, light reactions, photosystems, electron transport, dark reactions, carbon fixation, synthesis of sucrose and starch.

Written examination

1.5 hour written examination consisting of 50 multiple choice questions (85% of unit credits)

Set exercise – Online coursework assessment

Electronically marked Blackboard eLearning modules (LMs) consisting on online MCQ tests (15% of unit credits). Each LM is linked to a specific part of the syllabus and released separately with its own deadline.

Feedback will be via Blackboard e-Learning modules and Discussion Board. Some of the lectures will be held in flipped format where the lecture slot is mainly used for live interactive quizzes and detailed feedback on practice exercises. In this format, the material is first learned in private study with the help of textbooks and online material including videos.

Moran LA, Horton, RA, Scrimgeour G, Perry M (2011) Principles of Biochemistry (5^th edition), Prentice Hall. New International Edition (2014) and older editions also suitable for this course. Optional

Berg, JM, Stryer, L, Tymoczko, J and Gatto, G (2019) Biochemistry (9^th edition), WH Freeman, NY. Older editions also suitable for this course. Optional

Berg, JM, Tymoczko, JL and Stryer, L (2002) Biochemistry (5^th edition), WH Freeman, NY. Optional. Freely available online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21154/.

Nelson, DL and Cox MM (2017) Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry (7^th edition), WH Freeman. Older editions also suitable for this course. Further reading