Course Contents

Introduction to biochemistry; water, pH, buffers, and biochemical composition of cells; carbohydrates - Amino acids, proteins and their properties; covalent structure of proteins; secondary structure; fibrous proteins; tertiary structure and globular proteins; protein stability; quaternary structure; protein folding and structure evolution. Hemoglobin function, structure and mechanism, abnormal hemoglobins; Carbohydrate classification, structure and functions; monosaccharides; oligosaccharides; structural and storage polysaccharides; other carbohydrates of biological interest; structure and function of proteoglycans and glycoproteins; carbohydrate analysis; bacterial cell walls; lipid classification; structure and functions of different types of lipids; micelles; bilayers and lipsomes; structure of biological membranesl; enzymes - properties, nomenclature, classification, and factors affecting enzyme activity including inhibitors and potentiators, basic kinetics, derivation of Km and Vmax; coenzymes and vitamins; nucleic acids - structure and function.

Course Synopsis

This course aims to provide students with fundamental knowledge of the molecules of life, as well as their function in the context of a living cell. Aim of this course is to let the students know about structure, biochemical nature, biological functions and importance of these macromolecules in details, as well as the structure and functions of biological membranes and enzymes.