CHEM 406 - Biochemistry II

5 CR

The second in a two-quarter sequence for students in the Bachelor in Applied Science in Molecular Biosciences, science majors and students interested in careers in pharmacy, dentistry, medicine, veterinary medicine and medical technology. Topics include lipid structure, metabolism, transport and biosynthesis, nucleic acid structure and function, DNA replication, transcription and translation.

Prerequisite(s): CHEM 405 with a C or better, or permission of the instructor. Molecular Biosciences BAS students must have completed CHEM 405 with a C+ or better.

Course Outcomes
• Analyze the chemical and physical properties of the different categories of biochemically relevant lipids and of the structures they can form (bilayers, micelles, etc.).

• Illustrate the composition, structure and properties of biological membranes.

• Delineate different forms of signal transduction, emphasizing the role of G-trimeric proteins.

• Compare and contrast the processes of fatty acid oxidation, fatty acid biosynthesis, cholesterol biosynthesis and lipid transport (in healthy and ill organisms).

• Describe the metabolic pathways involved in amino acid metabolism and protein degradation, including the role of ubiquitin and the proteasome.

• Illustrate the different catabolic pathways of purines and pyrimidines as well as of the corresponding ribonucleotides and deoxyribonucleotides.

• Compare and contrast DNA and RNA from the point of view of structure and function.

• Analyze the processes of DNA replication, damage and repair including the relevant enzymes, chemical reactions and possible medical consequences.

• Discuss transcription, translation and the control of gene expression in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

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