In this lesson, we are going to discuss one very important science, that has many big roles in our everyday life. This science is called Biochemistry. Biochemistry has contributed a great role in medical and health science, agriculture, industry, molecular biology, genetics. It is a very important science, because anything that has to do with our general health, nutrition, or medicine, has its roots in it.
We will learn:
- What is biochemistry?
- What does biochemistry study?
- What are biomolecules and their function?
- What are biochemical reactions?
- What is metabolism?
- Applications of biochemistry.
- Branches of biochemistry.
What is Biochemistry?
Biology is a natural science that studies life and living organisms. Chemistry is the study of matter and the changes the matter undergoes. The science that brings together these two very important sciences, is Biochemistry, which is also called the chemistry of life. That is why biochemistry needs previous knowledge of basic chemistry and biology. Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. Biochemistry is somewhere in the middle of chemistry (which is about atoms) and biology (which is about cells). Biochemistry is the domain of large biomolecules that are composed of thousands or more atoms, like carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). It is about exploring their interactions and the chemical reactions that appear in every living organism. The chemical reactions that take place inside living things are called biochemical reactions. The sum of all the biochemical reactions in an organism is referred to as metabolism. Metabolism includes catabolic reactions, which are energy-releasing, or exergonic reactions; and anabolic reactions, which are energy-absorbing, or endergonic reactions. Enzymes (most of them are proteins) speed up biochemical reactions.
The beginning of biochemistry may have been marked by the discovery of the first enzyme, diastase in 1833 by Anselme Payen. Although the term “biochemistry” seems to have been first used in 1882, it is generally accepted that the formal coinage of biochemistry occurred in 1903 by Carl Neuberg (German chemist).
Scientists that are trained in biochemistry are called biochemists. Biochemists study DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates. They support our understanding of health and disease, provide new ideas and experiments to understand how life works, contribute innovative information to the technological revolution, and work alongside chemists, physicists, healthcare professionals, and many more professionals.
What does biochemistry study?
As a sub-discipline of both biology and chemistry, biochemistry focuses on processes happening at a molecular level. Biochemistry studies the chemical properties of important biological molecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids. It also looks at how cells communicate with each other, for example during growth or fighting illness. Biochemists need to understand how the structure of a molecule relates to its function, allowing them to predict how molecules will interact. Biochemistry is concerned with chemical reactions that are involved in various processes like reproduction, metabolism, growth, heredity. Biochemistry is closely related to molecular biology (the study of the molecular mechanisms of biological phenomena).
Biomolecules and their functions
A biomolecule is any molecule that is present in living organisms, including large macromolecules such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids, as well as small molecules such as primary metabolites, secondary metabolites, and natural products. They are important for the survival of living cells.
- Carbohydrates are biomolecules made up of carbon and water. Living organisms use carbohydrates as accessible energy to fuel cellular reactions and for structural support inside cell walls. That is why carbohydrates are very important.
- Lipids are long chains of carbon and hydrogen molecules. Major types include fats and oils, waxes, phospholipids, and steroids. Lipids perform different functions in cells. They are responsible for storing energy, signaling, and they are acting as structural components of cell membranes. The most common form of lipid found in food is triglycerides.
- Proteins are macromolecules, consisting of one or more long chains of amino acid residues. There are 20 different types of amino acids that can be combined to make a protein. Proteins play many critical roles in the body. They do most of the work in cells. Also, the proteins are required for the function, structure, and regulation of the body’s organs and tissues. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.
- Nucleic acids are the biological macromolecules essential to all known forms of life. The term nucleic acid is the overall name for DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (Ribonucleic acid). They are composed of nucleotides. A nucleotide is made up of three components: a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar, and a phosphate group. The functions of nucleic acids have to do with the storage and expression of genetic information, they code the genetic information of organisms.
Sometimes one biomolecule can contain components from two of the major classes, such as glycoprotein (carbohydrate+protein) or lipoprotein (lipid+protein).
In addition to the major classes of biomolecules, there are many relatively small organic molecules required by cells for very specific functions; like help in the function of enzymes or help in metabolic pathways.
Applications of biochemistry
Biochemistry is applied in various areas, including medicine, the pharmaceutical industry, agriculture, food science, genetics, etc.
- Testing-pregnancy, breast cancer screening, prenatal genetic testing, blood tests, etc, and many more tests can be done. Biochemical tests are most often applied to samples of serum, plasma, and urine. In this test levels of specific chemicals are measured and the results compared with those that are representative of a healthy individual. An increase or decrease in any particular component(s) can help to identify a disease process. With laboratory diagnostics, many lives are saved.
- Food science - biochemistry is all about the 4 biological macromolecules: proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids. Food is made up of those things, so there are many applications of biochemistry in food science.
- The pharmaceutical industry - relies on biochemistry because the chemical make-up of the body must be studied in relationship to the chemicals we put in our body when using medications. Some of the medications have been developed just because of biochemistry research.
- Genetics - Biochemistry is unique in providing teaching and research in genetic engineering.
- Agriculture -In agriculture, biochemists investigate soil and fertilizers. Other goals are crop storage, improving crop cultivation, and pest control.
Branches of biochemistry
The field of study of biochemistry is wide. The following are some of the biochemistry branches:
- Animal biochemistry. It is a branch of biochemistry that studies about structure and function of cellular components - proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids - and other biomolecules in animals.
- Plant biochemistry. It is the study of the biochemistry of autotrophic organisms such as photosynthesis and other plant-specific biochemical processes.
- Molecular biology. Molecular biology is the branch of biology that concerns the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including molecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions.
- Cell biology. Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) studies the structure and function of the cell, also known as the basic unit of life.
- Immunology. Immunology covers the study of immune systems in all organisms.
- Genetics. This branch is concerned with the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.
- Enzymology. Enzymology is the study of enzymes, the biological molecules (typically proteins) that significantly speed up the rate of virtually all of the chemical reactions that take place within cells.
Let's summarize!
- Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms.
- This science is between chemistry and biology.
- Biochemistry studies the chemical properties of important biological molecules, their structure, functions, interactions, etc.
- A biomolecule is any molecule that is present in living organisms and biomolecules are very important for the survival of living cells.
- Major classes of biomolecules are proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids.
- The chemical reactions that take place inside living things are called biochemical reactions.
- Enzymes speed up biochemical reactions.
- The sum of all the biochemical reactions in an organism is referred to as metabolism.
- Biochemistry is applied in various areas, including medicine, the pharmaceutical industry, agriculture, food science, genetics, etc.
- Some of the branches of biochemistry are animal biochemistry, plant biochemistry, molecular biology, cellular biology, immunology, genetic, enzymology, etc.
