What are three major themes you would id that connect the various topics discussed in this course?

I would consider the three major themes of the course differences between eukaryotes and prokaryotes, nucleotides and amino acids, and carbohydrates. In almost every topic that we have covered, the difference between eukaryotes and prokaryotes has been discussed. That has ranged from the basic cellular organelles and duties to differences in transcription and translation. Amino acids have been another common denominator in many of the topics that we have covered, including the structure and chemical composition of amino acids and we then broken down into peptides and even nucleotides, which were then discussed in relation to protein synthesis, transcription, and translation. Lastly, in addition to amino acids frequently arising in lecture and reading, the theme of carbohydrates was prevalent. Carbohydrates ranged from basic structure and function (in association with energy) and break down into starches and sugars, including monosaccarides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. And into further depth with glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, citric acid cycle, and electron transport.
I had some baseline knowledge of each of these topics from previous biology classes, but did not have a chemistry background. It made a difference to combine chemistry with biology to have a complete biochemical understanding of the topics, especially with amino acids, both when they are combined to create proteins and broken down into peptides and nucleotides. With each of these three main themes my knowledge has of course grown, but I think the largest difference is my understanding of the topics, for example of the breakdown of glucose into ATP from glycolysis to electron transport. I have understood each step of each process and why the step has occurred and which enzyme has been responsible for that step and why it has occurred where it did. I feel that only when I understand a topic or theme did I truly learn it.

How would you explain the connection between glucose entering the body and energy created by the body to a friend, using your new biochem knowledge

I would use my biochemistry knowledge to explain that for every molecule of glucose, 30 ATP are produced, which is what our bodies uses as energy. A molecule of glucose is transition to ATP with glycolysis. First 2 ATP are “invested” into the process and through 10 steps, a net of 2 ATP are produced, as well as 2 NADHs. The product of glycolysis in addition to the ATP is pyruvate. The pyruvate is next converted to Acetyl CoA (with 2 NADH as byproduct) in the inner mitochondrial matrix and once that has occur, the citric acid cycle occurs in the mitochondrial matrix and through 8 steps 2 FADH2 and 6 NADH are produced, as well as 2 ATP. The NADH and FADH2 that were produced from glycolysis, inner mitochondrial matrix, and the citric acid cycle are reoxidized into 26 ATP during electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation.

What knowledge have you connected with past knowledge?

It is amazing how quickly information can be remembered after a simple refresher. Before I began reading the chapters on turning glucose into ATP and glycogen into glucose, I tried to remember how and where it happened in the body, or what it was called and I could not put two and two together. After I saw the word glycolysis and citric acid cycle it all came flooding back. I remember the citric acid cycle being referred to as the Krebs cycle though, but it has been a while. This time around, learning and refreshing my memory there is a lot more detail. Such as knowing what happens step by step in each of the processes of glycolysis, Citric acid cycle, electron transport, including what is necessary prior to the process for it to actually occur. For example, before the citric acid cycle, the two pyruvate molecules have to be converted into acetyl CoA or else the citric acid cycle can not occur. Although there has been a lot more information to learn this time around, it has been easier to learn with base knowledge compared to some of the other topics.

Find a protein using PDB explorer-describe your protein, including what disease state or other real-world application it has.

Poliovirus is the causative agent of poliomyelitis, which causes the degradation of the myelin sheaths of the Central Nervous System. Those who have polio usually lose their ability to walk and do other activities of daily living. 1DGI is a protein that is a precursor of the human poliovirus. Its structure is quartenary because it has 2 subunits. 1DGI does not cause poliovirus or necessarily mean that someone will have poliovirus.

Find an interesting biochemistry website and put its link in this entry, and describe briefly what is found there.

A biochemistry website that interested me is The Medical Biochemistry Page (http://themedicalbiochemistrypage.org). There were all sorts of different biochemistry research on a variety of topics. The website was very up to date. That was a link about acai berries which have been in the news a lot lately about the benefits of the antioxidants that they have. The site ranged in several directions. Postings covered most biochemical topics, women's health, research techniques, insulin, diabetes, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, protein synthesis, and much more. I would have like to know about this page when I was writing research papers for college. There as a lot of great information.

What knowledge have you connected with past knowledge?

I have connected a lot of past concepts and knowledge with the ones we are currently learning. It has been such as long time since I had biology and chemistry that it has been a little surprising what I have connected. I remembered how to number valence electrons, as well as draw an element representing its valence electrons. I have connected prior knowledge about prokaryotes and eukaryote to make sense and connect new knowledge, such as the differences between prokaryotes' and eukaryotes' organelles make for different biochemical reactions I have also connected a lot of new biochemical knowledge with what I learned in college. One of the big topics that connected several things for me was pH and blood values, such as respiratory and metabolic acidosis or alkalosis are diagnosed based on blood gas levels and especially pH values. There have also been a few concepts that both connected past knowledge, but will be important to connect to graduate work, such as cheese makes for a better snack than milk in class because milk contains tryptophan.

What is biochemistry, and how does it differ from the fields of genetics, biology, chemistry, and molecular biology?

Biochemistry is the study of the molecular nature of life and its processes based on the function and reactions elements and their derivatives undergo. It differs from the fields of genetics, biology, chemistry and molecular biology because it is a part of all of them. Each of these fields is the of studies topics on a more in depth nature, where biochemistry focuses on answering the question, what is the molecular nature of life processes? Biology is the study of life and its processes. Chemistry is the study of elements and the compounds they create and reactions that the element and compounds undergo. Genetics is the study of the information for the structure and function of all living organisms. Molecular biology is the study of life and its process on a molecular level without regards to why processes and reactions occur like biochemistry does. Without these other fields of study biochemistry would not be what it is and may not have had some of its findings, such as not have had the idea to determine how a NA+/K+ pump works and the energy that goes into making it work. Biochemistry also plays a role in other fields than the ones mentioned, such as pharmacology, nursing, and nutrition. In regards to pharmacology, the structure of a drug and how it reacts with the body is ultimately biochemistry.