20247 Biochemistry II: Carbohydrates, Lipids, Nucleic Acids 1
Credits: 3 intermediate credits in Life Sciences or in Chemistry
Prerequisites: none
Required: Biochemistry I: Proteins - Structure and Function
Recommended: One of the following: Organic Chemistry for Biology Students, Organic Chemistry
Author: Ruth Arav
This course is a continuation of Biochemistry I: Proteins – Structure and Function (20204). It covers the structure of carbohydrates (sugars), lipids (fats) and nucleic acids, their function in the organism, metabolic pathways, reactions, and methods of isolation and characterization. The course provides the student with a greater understanding of natural products, their structure and function in cells and in various organisms, as discussed in Cell Structure and Function (20452 or 20214), Genetics (20275), The World of Bacteria (20237) and advanced courses in the Life Sciences.
Topics: Carbohydrates – definition, monosaccharides, monosaccharide reactions and derivatives, metabolism of monosaccharides, identification of monosaccharides, the glycosidic bond, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, conjugated saccharides, identification of polysaccharides; Lipids – definition and classification, fatty acids, simple lipids, complex lipids, lipid aggregates, lipid isolation and characterization; Nucleic acids – building blocks, nucleotide properties, nucleotide biosynthesis pathways, nucleotide degradation pathways, nucleotide functions, nucleotides in medicine and research, nucleic acids, DNA, RNA, DNA metabolism, RNA metabolism.