INTRODUCTION

1.1 Biochemistry and the

Organization of Cells

Dr. ANG GEIK YONG

Integrative Pharmacogenomics Institute
(iPROMISE),
Level 7, FF3, Universiti Teknologi MARA
(UiTM),
Puncak Alam Campus,
42300 Bandar Puncak Alam,
Selangor, Malaysia.
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 Learning outcomes
Students should be able to;
1. Understand and define what is biochemistry
2. Understand the fundamentals
a. Organization of life
b. Elements in life
c. Functional groups
d. Monomers and polymers
3. Able to explain the difference between
eukaryotes and prokaryotes, plant cell and animal
cell, and cellular process
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 Basic themes
• How does biochemistry describe life processes?
 Living things are diverse
 Two things in common
• Use the same types of biomolecules
–Proteins
–Carbohydrates
–Lipids
–Nucleic acids
• Use energy
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 How did living things originate
• Since all living cells uses the same biomolecules
and energy, speculating on the origins of life is a
worthwhile question

How did the

components of our
bodies do the things
that they do?

Structural Organization
Atoms, molecules,
macromolecules, organelles,
cell, tissue, organ, system 4
 How did living things originate

What elements are all

living organisms
comprised of ?
C, N, P, S, O, H
What are the basic
molecules of life?
H2O (water)
CH4 (methane)
CO2 (carbon dioxide)
NH3 (ammonia)
H2 (hydrogen) 5
 What is biochemistry?

• Biochemistry explains the molecular processes

and chemical reactions in relation to living
organism

• Biomolecules are molecules that are made by

living organisms such as;
• Proteins
• DNA
• Carbohydrates
• Lipids 6
 Chemical Foundations of Biochemistry

Biochemistry vs Organic chemistry

 Organic chemistry – the study of compounds of
carbon and hydrogen and their derivatives
 Cellular apparatus of living organisms is made
up of carbon compounds – thus biomolecules
are part of organic chemistry
 But many carbon compounds are not found in
any organism

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Can a chemist synthesize the molecular of
life in a laboratory?

• German chemist Friedrich Wöhler synthesized urea

(a well-known waste product of animal metabolism)
from ammonium cyanate a compound obtained from
mineral (i.e., nonliving) sources

• Is there any difference between ‘organic’ and

‘chemical’ urea?

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 What are functional groups?

• Specific groups of atoms or bonds

within molecules that are responsible for
the characteristic chemical and physical
properties of those molecules

• The reactions of molecules are based on

the reactions of their respective functional
groups.

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Exercise

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 Why are biomolecules special ?
• Living cells are assemblages that include very
large molecules such as protein, nucleic acid
and polysaccharides

 these biomolecules are called polymers

(Greek: poly + meros, many + parts)
 they are derived from monomers
(Greek: mono + meros, single + part)

amino acids proteins Important role in life

nucleotides nucleic acids processes

monosaccharides polysaccharides 14
Informational marcomolecules

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 Informational marcomolecules
• Enzymes: a class of proteins that are biocatalysts
the catalytic effectiveness of a given enzyme
depends on its amino acid sequence
• Genetic code: the relationship between the
nucleotide sequence in nucleic acids and the
amino acid sequence in proteins
Information for structure and function of all
living things is passed from one generation to
the next
Can RNA be the original coding material?
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Directionality in macromolecules

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 Prokaryotes vs Eukaryotes
v

v
v

Nuclear region 10 - 100 μm

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1 - 3 μm
Five-kingdom classification scheme

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Exercise

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Thank you

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