Introduction to Biochemistry Biochemistry in Agriculture History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

What is Biochemistry ? Biochemistry = chemistry of life or the chemical basis of life. Biochemists use physical and chemical principles to explain biology at the molecular level. The science concerned with the various molecules that occur in living cells and organisms, and their chemical reactions. The basic principles of biochemistry are common to all living organism How the remarkable properties of living organisms arise from the thousands of different lifeless biomolecules following the physical and chemical laws that govern the nonliving universe. History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

How does Biochemistry impact us ? Medicine Agriculture Industrial applications Environmental applications History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Principal Areas of Biochemistry Structure and function of biological macromolecules Metabolism – anabolic and catabolic processes. Molecular Genetics – How life is replicated. Regulation of protein synthesis History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Once upon a time, long long ago….. Vitalism: idea that substances and processes associated with living organisms did not behave according to the known laws of physics and chemistry, living things are alive because of some special "vital force" Evidence: Only living things have a high degree of complexity Only living things extract, transform and utilize energy from their environment Only living things are capable of self-assembly and self-replication History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Origins of Biochemistry Biochemicals can only be produced by living organisms Friedrich Wohler (1828) is regarded as a pioneer in organic chemistry. Known for synthesizing urea in vitro. This discovery was celebrated as a rejection of vitalism, the hypothesis that living things are alive because of some special "vital force". History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Complex bioconversion of chemical substances require living matter Emil Fischer, postulated Lock and Key analogy in 1894, he was awarded 1902 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, well known for his work on sugars & purines. Eduard Buchner, was awarded 1907 Nobel Prize in Chemistry  for his work on fermentation. Glucose + Dead Yeast = Alcohol

He was also the first to prove that enzymes are proteins. J.B. Sumner was awarded 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, known for his discovery that enzymes can be crystallized. He was also the first to prove that enzymes are proteins. 1928 Griffith - transformation in bacterial 1941 Beadle & Tatum – one gene one enzyme 1944 Avery, MacLeod and McCarty identified DNA as information molecules Watson and Crick proposed the double helical structure of DNA 1955 Sanger sequenced insulin- won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1956 Meselson & Stahl- semiconservative replication of DNA History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

1958 Kornberg- isolated DNA polymerase-I from E. coli 1958 Crick proposed the central dogma of life 1959 Ochoa – discovered RNA polymerase 1970 Nathan & Smith- Restriction endonucleases 1970 Baltimore- Reverse transcriptase 1977 Sanger & Gilbert for sequencing of DNA, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1980 1983 Kary Mullis invented PCR method- won Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1993 1983 Cech & Altman- Catalytic RNAs (Ribozyme) 1988 Watson was appointed as Coordinator of the Human Genome Project History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Organization of Life Elements Simple organic compounds (monomers) Macromolecules (polymers) Supramolecular structures Organelles Cells Tissues Organs Organisms History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Classification of organism according to their source of energy Organism Phototroph (energy from light) Chemotroph (energy from chemical compounds Autotroph (carbon from CO2) Examples: Cyanobacteria Plants Heterootroph (carbon from organic compounds) Examples: Purple bacteria Green bacteria Heterootroph (carbon from organic compounds) Lithoootroph (energy from inorganic compounds) Examples: Sulfur bacteria Hydrogen bacteria Organotroph (energy from organic compounds) Examples: Most prokaryotes Non-phototrophic eukaryotes

Range of the sizes of objects studied by Biochemists and Biologists 1 angstrom = 0.1 nm History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Approaches to understand the biological process In vitro (“ in glass” – in the test tube) In vitro studies may overlook important interactions among molecules In vivo (“inside the living system”) History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Periodic Table Elements of Life Most abundant, essential for all organisms: C, N, O, P, S, H Less abundant, essential for all organisms: Na, Mg, K, Ca, Cl Trace levels, essential for all organism : Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn Trace levels, essential for some organism : V, Cr, Mo, B, Al, Ga, Sn, Si, As, Se, I History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Compounds & Functional groups History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Many Important Biomolecules are Polymers Monomer Polymer Supramolecular structure Lipids Proteins Carbohyd. Nucleic acids History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Macromolecules may further assembled into supramolecular complexes, forming functional units such as Ribosome. Proteins and RNAs combine together to form ribosome, a functional unit. History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Common Theme Metabolism Monomers form polymers through condensation Anabolism Catabolism Polymers are broken down through hydrolysis   Metabolism History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Prokaryote Cell History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Eukaryote Cells Animal cell Plant cell History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Mitochondria History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Mitochondrion. Mitochondria are the main sites of energy transduction in aerobic eukaryotic cells. Carbohydrates, fatty acids, and amino acids are metabolized in this organelle. History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Chloroplast History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Chloroplast. Chloroplasts are the sites of photosynthesis in plants and algae. Light energy is captured by pigments associated with the thylakoid membrane and used to convert carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates. History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI

Transgenic Plant/ Animal Genetic engineering Transgenic Plant/ Animal Clone Green Fluorescence protein

HGP: from 1990, completed in 2003

What dose the Biochemistry discuss? Structure and function of cellular components proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and other biomolecules Metabolism and Regulation Gene expression and its modulation DNA RNA Protein History of Agriculture, (PGS506) Dr. Suresh Kumar, Pr. Sci., Biochemistry, IARI