Unit BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
- Course
- Chemistry
- Study-unit Code
- 55004006
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Sandra Buratta
- Teachers
-
- Sandra Buratta
- Hours
- 42 ore - Sandra Buratta
- CFU
- 6
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2023
- Offered
- 2025/26
- Learning activities
- Caratterizzante
- Area
- Discipline chimiche organiche e biochimiche
- Academic discipline
- BIO/10
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian
- Contents
- Structural-functional organization of the cell. Structure and function of nucleic acids. Amino acids. Structure and function of proteins. Myoglobin and hemoglobin. Enzymes: catalysis and kinetics. Carbohydrates: structure and functions. Lipids: structure and function. Biological membranes. Introduction to metabolism. Carbohydrate metabolism. Beta-oxidation of fatty acids. TTricarboxylic acid cycle. Electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation. Amino acid catabolism. Urea cycle.
- Reference texts
- 1. Introduzione alla Biochimica di Lehninger di David L. Nelson, Michael, M. Cox. Ed. Zanichelli 2. Biochimica di C. Campbell, Farrell. Ed. EdiSES
- Educational objectives
- Knowledge: at the end of the course the student will have to know: structures and properties of the main biological macromolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, DNA); their modes of interaction, the main metabolic and energy production pathways of the cell. Ability: at the end of the course the student must be able to relate the knowledge acquired in the abiotic field, in the General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry courses, to a Chemical-Biological field. He must be able to integrate the acquired knowledge into a coherent framework
- Prerequisites
- In order to understand the issues of the course, the students must have good basic knowledge in the field of general and inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry. Regarding biological aspects, students must have basic knowledge acquired during their secondary school. Further knowledge will be acquired by the students during the course.
- Teaching methods
- The course will be organized with. Lessons will be integrated with slide projections and movies.
- Other information
- Attending classes: recommended but not compulsory
- Learning verification modality
- The exams consist of a written multi-choice exam followed by an oral examination. In the written test students have to answer to thyrty multiple-choice questions (Libreol). This text will be used to verify the level of knowledge acquired. Students who achieve a score of at least 18/30 will be admitted to the oral exam.
- Extended program
- The chemical constituents of living organisms. The molecular logic of life. Biochemistry and cell organization. Amino acids, peptides and proteins. Secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of proteins Protein function: protein-ligand reversible bond (oxygen-binding proteins); complementary protein-ligand interactions; interaction between proteins modulated by chemical energy. Enzymes: catalytic mechanism; enzymatic kinetics; inhibition and regulation mechanisms of enzymatic activity, examples of enzymatic reactions. Carbohydrates: monosaccharides, disaccharides, polysaccharides, glycoconjugates Nucleotides and nucleic acids: basic notions on structure and functions Lipids: Structure and function of the main classes of structural and reserve lipids. Biological membranes: components, structure, transport mechanisms. Principles of bioenergetics and metabolism: glycolysis and gluconeogenesis; citric acid cycle, catabolism of fatty acids; oxidation of amino acids and urea cycle, principles of bioenergetics and biological redox reactions, electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation.