What is Biochemistry?
The term Biochemistry was introduced by Carl Neuberg in 1903.
Biochemistry is the application of chemistry to the study of biological processes at the cellular and molecular levels.
- It describes in molecular terms the structures, mechanisms, functions, and chemical processes shared by all living organisms.
- It provides a fundamental understanding of the molecular basis for the function of living things.
- It provides a comprehensive understanding of the molecular basis of life.
- It tells what goes wrong to cause disease.
Example:
- Chemical structures of biomolecules.
- Interactions lead to the formation of super macro-molecules, cells, multicellular tissues, and organisms.
- Bioenergetics of reactions in the cell.
- Storage and transmission of information.
- Chemical changes during reproduction, ageing, and death of cells.
- Regulation of chemical reactions inside living cells.
Principal Areas of Biochemistry
Structure-function relationship:
- Structural Chemistry for proteins, carbohydrates, DNA/RNA, lipids, and every other component in the cell.
- Functions of these components.
- Relationship between structure and function.
Metabolism:
- Catabolism: Pathways of chemical reactions leading to the breakdown of molecules.
- Anabolism: pathways of chemical reactions leading to synthesis of molecules.
- Management of bioenergetics of reactions as well as cellular energy.
Cellular communication:
- Storage, transmission, and expression of genetic information.
- DNA replication and protein synthesis.
- Cell-cell communication & interaction.
- Signal transduction.
Branches of Biochemistry
- Molecular biology:
- Molecular biology is a branch of biology that focuses on the study of biological activities and processes at the molecular level.
- It attempts to understand the structure and function of the molecules that make up living organisms, including DNA, RNA, proteins, and other macromolecules.
- The branch is often considered as the ‘root of biochemistry’.
2. Structural Biochemistry:
- Structural biochemistry is a branch of the life sciences that combines biology, physics, and chemistry to study living organisms and to summarize some mutual principles that all life forms share. It is also more generally referred to as biochemistry.
- Biochemists seek to describe in molecular terms the structures, mechanisms, and chemical processes shared by all organisms, providing organizational principles that underlie life in all its various forms.
3. Metabolic biochemistry:
- It is the branch of biochemistry that studies the generation of metabolic energy in higher organisms with an emphasis on its regulation at the molecular, cellular, and organ levels.
- Also emphasized are the chemical concepts and mechanisms of enzymatic catalysis. Includes selected topics in:
-Carbohydrate, lipid and nitrogen metabolism.
-Complex lipids and biological membranes.
-Hormone signal transduction and others.
4. Enzymology:
- They are protein molecule biological catalysts.
- It speeds up chemical reactions.
- The molecules that enzymes act on are called substrates, where the enzyme converts the substrate into molecules known as products.
5. Immunology:
- Immunology is the study of the immune system and is a very important branch of the medical and biological sciences.
- The immune system protects us from infection through various lines of defense.
6. Cell biology:
- Cell biology, also known as cytology, is a branch of biology that focuses on the study of cells – the basic structural and functional units of living organisms.
- This field aims to understand the organization, properties, functions, and life processes of cells.
- A field that focuses on studying the morphology and psychology of eukaryotes and prokaryotes at the cellular level.
- This branch is closely related to fields like physiology, histology, and microbiology.
7. Genetics:
- Genetics is the branch of biology that focuses on the study of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms.
- Genetics, an important branch of biochemistry focuses on the study of genes, their mutations/variations, and the characteristics of heredity in living organisms.
- Here, the structure, function, variation, and distribution of genes are studied in the context of cells, organisms, and populations. Genetics is a broad field, with many subfields such as molecular genetics, population genetics, and epigenetics.
Other major branches of biochemistry include:
- Animal and Plant Biochemistry
- Biotechnology
- Molecular chemistry
- Genetic engineering
- Neurochemistry
- Virology
- Chemotaxonomy
- Xenobiotics
- Nutrition
- Environmental biochemistry
- Toxicology
Importance of Biochemistry
- It plays an important role in health and nutrition.
- Biochemistry helps in understanding the chemical aspects of various biological processes like digestion, respiration, reproduction, excretion, the behavior of hormones, contraction and relaxation of muscles, and many others.
- This field generally studies various substances of the body such as enzymes, amino acids, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, DNA, RNA, pigments, hormones, etc. at the fundamental level.
- Biochemists use chemical information and processes to solve biological problems. Biochemistry solves fundamental problems in biology and medicine.
- Biochemistry provides interdisciplinary knowledge as it has many branches, covering everything related to living organisms and their existence.
- It is essential in the design and manufacturing of various chemical and biological products, clinical diagnosis, nutrition, treatment of diseases, agriculture, etc.
Scope of Biochemistry
1. Medical Sciences: There is a huge scope in areas like pathology, immunology, pharmacy, vaccine development, etc. People can also find a job as Biochemists, lab assistants, medical transcriptionists, and clinical coordinators. In medicine, biochemists investigate the causes and treatments of disease.
2. Agriculture: Plant biochemistry offers enormous scope. Students of this branch can become agricultural scientists and develop agricultural crop variants that are high-yielding and disease-resistant.In agriculture, biochemists examine soils and fertilizers and attempt to discover ways to improve crop cultivation, crop storage, and pest control.
3. Food Industry: Nutritionists and dietitians help in monitoring and regulating the richness of nutrients in the body. The scope of these roles is huge, especially in today’s world where everyone is living a sedentary lifestyle. They study how to maintain health and study the effects of nutritional deficiencies.