Syllabus of Jawaharlal Nehru University MSc Biotechnology - BT514 - Biochemistry

Credits: 2

1. Biochemistry : The molecular logic of living organisms

2. The cell and its biochemical organization

3. Metabolism: Basic concept and design

4. Glycolysis: Key structure and reactions, formation of1,6 bisphosphate, formation of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, formation of pyruvate and generation of second ATP, entryof fructose and galactose into glycolysis, phosphofructokinase as key enzyme in glycolysis,hoxokinase and pyruvate kinase as regulatory enzymes, conversion of pyruvate into ethanol lactate or acetyl CoA.

5. Pentose phosphate pathway : Generation of NADPH and interconnection of glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway, control of rate of pentose phosphate pathway by NADPH+, regulation of flow of glucose 6 phosphate by the need of NADPH, ribose 5 phosphate and ATP, glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase defficiency.

6. Gluconeogenesis: Synthesis of carbohydrates by noncarbohydrate precursors, gluconeogenes is nota reversal of glycolysis, activation of pyruvatecarboxylase by acetyl CoA, oxaloacetate shuttle,energy consumption in the synthesis of glucose from pyruvate, reciprocal regulation of gluconeogenesis and glycolysis, conversion of lactate and alanine intoglucose in liver.

7. Citric acid cycle: Formation of acetyl CoA from pyruvate, condensation of oxaloacetate with acetyl CoA to form citrate, isomerization of citrate intoisocitrate, oxidative decarboxylation of succinyl CoA, generation of high energy phosphate from succinylCoA, regeneration of oxalate, sloichiometry of citricacid cycle, pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, citricacid cycle as a source of biosynthetic precursors, control of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, controlof citric acid cycle, citric acid cycle and its high energy yield.

8. Electron transport and oxidative phospherylation, energetics of oxidative phosphorylation, en enrgy yield by complete oxidation of glucose.

9. Amino acid degradation oxidative deemination, conversion of NH4+ into urea, linkage between ureacycle and citirc acid cycle, conversion of alanineserine and cystein into pyruvate, conversion of aspartate and asparagine into oxalocetate, conversion of several amino acid into alpha ketoglutarate through glutamate, succinyl CoA as a point of entry for some amino acids, leucine degradation to acetylCoA and acetoacetyl CoA, phenyl alanine degradation to acetoacetate and fumarate.

10. Biosynthesis of amino acids : Conversion of nitrogen to NH4 by micro-organisms, conversion of amonia into amino acids by way of glutamata and glutamine,conversion of citric acid Intermediates to amino acids,glutamate as precursor of glutamine, proline and arginine, conversion of 3-phosphoglycerate to serine, synthesis of cystein from serine and homocysteine,feed back regulation of amino acid biosynthesis.

11. Biosynthesis and degradation of Nucleotides:
Purine biosynthesis : formation of PRPP, Biosynthesis of IMP, Purine nucleotide interconversions, regulation of purinebiosynthesis.
Pyrimidine Biosynthesis : Assembly of the pyrimidinenucleus, synthesis of di & tri phosphates, formation of deoxyribonucleotides, thymine biosynthesis salvage pathway for purine and pyrimidine nucleotides, Degradation of purines and pyrimidines to uric acid and urea.

12. Lipids : Fatty acids, glycerols, waxes, phospholipids,sphingolipids, sterols lipoproteins

13. Fatty acid oxidation
Digestion, mobilization and transport of fatty acids, Mobilization of stored triglycerides by hormones, activation of fatty acids and their transport tomitochondria, oxidation of saturated fatty acids, Oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids, and oxidation of odd chain fatty acids. Ketone bodies, over production of kelone bodies.

14. Biosynthesis of fatty acids
Formation of malony CoA, fattyacid synthase complex, fattyacid synthase multifunctional proteins, shuttling of acitate out of mitochondria as citrate, Reactions of fatty acidsynthase, regulation of fatty acid biosynthesis, Biosynthesis of triglycerols, membrane phospholipids and prostaglandins.

15. Integration of Metabolism