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BB 450/550 and 451/551

BB 450, 451 and BB 550, 551 — GENERAL BIOCHEMISTRY

BB450 4 credits CRN 10883 Fall Ahern MWF 1200-1250 MLM 026
BB550 4 credits CRN 10899 Fall Ahern MWF 1200-1250 MLM 026
BB450 4 credits CRN 20534 Winter McFadden MWF 1200-1250 CORD 1109
BB550 4 credits CRN 20549 Winter McFadden MWF 1200-1250 CORD 1109

BB451 3 credits CRN 20538 Winter Ahern MWF 1200-1250 GLFN AUD
BB551 3 credits CRN 20965 Winter Ahern MWF 1200-1250 GLFN AUD
BB451 3 credits CRN 30871 Spring Schimerlik/Merrill MWF 1100-1150 WGND 115
BB551 3 credits CRN 30880 Spring Schimerlik/Merrill MWF 1100-1150 WGND 115


Prerequisite: CH 332 or (preferably) CH 336

Course content: An introductory year-long sequence in general biochemistry. The course is taught primarily by lecture, but the 450/550 course includes one weekly recitation section in addition to three lectures per week. The sequence is organized so that 450/550 and 451/551 present the "core" of biochemistry for those desiring a two-quarter introduction to the field. 

Text: Berg, Tymoczko & Stryer: Biochemistry, Sixth Edition

Curricular purpose of the course: This is a course for non-majors which requires less of a background in chemistry than that required for majors, but which allows for a reasonably detailed introduction to biochemistry in two quarters. Must be taken in order. BB 450/550, three lectures and one recitation and BB 451/551, three lectures.


BB 450/550

Protein, DNA, enzyme, protease, inhibitors, metabolites, anti-oxidants—these and other biochemical terms have made their way indelibly into our everyday lingo and have become an inescapable part of modern day life. While it has become almost fashionable to be able to throw about such terms in our conversations, what do they really mean? More to the point, these "things" undoubtedly affect our lives, but precisely how? The language of biochemistry is literally the language of life itself, though without half the glamour the press is wont to give it. At the heart of this powerful science that has revolutionized modern medicine lies this simple hypothesis, the central belief that life itself can be understood in terms of an extraordinarily and intricately woven network of chemical reactions.
This course in general biochemistry is intended to initiate the student into this microscopic world where blueprints are made of deoxyribonucleic acids, factories operate using machines called enzymes, and the exchange rate is in ATP's rather than Yens or Euros. Beyond explaining terms, and iterating reactions and metabolic pathways, this course strives to establish that the same principles, a.k.a. the laws of physical chemistry, that govern the behavior of the world around us also govern the transactions inside this microscopic world of the living cell. And by studying and applying these principles, we begin to understand such intricate details as the structures of biological macromolecules as well as the complex dynamics of their interactions.

Topics Covered

BB 450/550

  1. Introduction/Acids & Bases
  2. Protein Structure
  3. Protein Characterization 
  4. Hemoglobin 
  5. Enzymes
  6. Catalytic Strategies 
  7. Regulation
  8. Carbohydrates
  9. Cellular Signaling
  10. Metabolic Strategies
  11. Glycolysis & Gluconeogenesis
  12. Glycogen Metabolism 


BB 451/551

  1. Gluconeogenesis, Glycogen Metabolism
  2. Lipids, Membranes and Transport
  3. Electron Transport, Oxidative Phosphorylation and Mitochondrial Transport Systems
  4. Lipid Metabolism
  5. Nucleotide Metabolism
  6. DNA Replication
  7. Transcription
  8. Translation


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