生物化学之绪论(一).ppt

生 物 化 学 BIOCHEMISTRY “Biochemistry …has become the lingua franca of the life science and greatly illuminates subsequent study in any area of biology, and not only biology. An early course in biochemistry for students of chemistry or physics provides challenging glimpses of how living organisms solve some of the most fundamental chemical and physical problems” —Albert.L.Lehninger in <Principles of Biochemistry>(1982) 生物的多样性及共同性 What are these distinguishing features of living organisms? A high degree of chemical complexity and microscopic organization. Thousands of different molecules make up a cell’s intricate internal structures. Each has its characteristic sequence of subunits, its unique three-dimensional structure, and its highly specific selection of binding partners in the cell. Systems for extracting, transforming, and using energy from the environment, enabling organisms to build and maintain their intricate structures and to do mechanical, chemical, osmotic, and electrical work. Inanimate matter tends, rather, to decay toward a more disordered state, to come to equilibrium with its surroundings. A capacity for precise self-replication and self-assembly. A single bacterial cell placed in a sterile nutrient medium can give rise to a billion identical “daughter” cells in 24 hours. Each cell contains thousands of different molecules, some extremely complex; yet each bacterium is a faithful copy of the original, its construction directed entirely from information contained within the genetic material of the original cell. Mechanisms for sensing and responding to alterations in their surroundings, constantly adjusting to these changes by adapting their internal chemistry. Defined functions for each of their components and regulated interactions among them. This is true not only of macroscopic structures, such as leaves and stems or hearts and lungs, but also of microscopic intracellular structures and individual chemical c