Lecture 1. Medical Biochemistry, Review of Biomolecules

1. Introduction, Review of
Biomolecules
Lecture 1, Medical Biochemistry

2. Lecture 1 Outline
• Review some basic chemical nomenclature
and concepts
• Review the structural and functional
features of different biomolecules
• Discuss the human genome project and the
future of molecular medicine

3. Common Functional Groups

4. Common Condensation
Reactions

5. Common Enzymatic Conversions
Oxidation-Reduction
Phosphorylation Phosphatase

6. Terms/Concepts to Review
• Hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity
• Aromatic and aliphatic
• Ionic, or electrostatic, interactions
• Hydrogen bonds
• van der Waals interactions
• Covalent bonds

7. Major Causes of Disease
(from Table 1.1 in text)
• Physical Agents: mechanical trauma,
temperature extremes, radiation, electric shock
• Chemical Agents: toxic compounds, drugs
• Biologic Agents: viruses, bacteria, fungi,
parasites, biochemistry professors
• Genetic Disease
• Oxygen Lack: loss of blood, decreased
oxygen-carrying capacity of blood,
mitochondrial poisoning

8. Disease Causes (cont.)
• Immunologic Reactions: anaphylaxis,
autoimmune disorders
• Nutritional Imbalances: deficiencies,
excesses
• Endocrine Imbalances: hormonal
deficiencies/excesses

9. Two-Way Street: Medicine and
Biochemistry

10. Sugars/Carbohydrates

11. Membrane Lipids

12. Sterols

13. Fatty Acids
Saturated and Unsaturated

14. Which Compound Would be
Found in a Membrane?

15. Nucleic Acids: Components of
RNA and DNA

16. DNA:
double helix

17. Adenosine Triphosphate - ATP

18. Amino Acids:
Protein Building Blocks

19. Levels of Protein Structure

20. Human Genome Project
• A rough draft is complete, >90% sequenced
• Represents approximately 75,000 human genes
(estimated range: 30,000 to 120,000)
• Based on the DNA from six individuals; thus provides
little information regarding genetic diversity within the
population
• Estimated that 95% of our DNA content is not
important; represents evolutionary “baggage”
• Highlights the need for continued sequencing of
genomes from other organisms to identify essential
genes and their functions

21. Proteomics
• Proteomics – the study of how all proteins
interact with each other in a cell
• Estimate 50,000 to 2,000,000 human proteins
• The amino acid sequence of a protein can be
determined from the gene sequence, but in most
cases, this cannot be used to predict overall 3D-
structure or function; usually this is done by X-
ray crystallography
• Only about 1% of proteins have had their 3D
structures determined

22. The Next 40 years in Medicine
• Predictions made by Francis Collins
M.D./Ph.D., director of the National Human
Genome Research Institute

23. Predictions - 2010
• Primary care providers will practice genetic
medicine
• Preimplantation diagnoses of fertilized
embryos will be widely available
• Gene therapy will be routinely used for a
few conditions

24. Predictions - 2020
• Gene-based designer drugs will be marketed for
some diseases
• Cancer therapies will target the molecular
fingerprint of each tumor type
• Drug susceptibility will be determined before a
prescription is written
• Genomic intervention via homologous
recombination will be used to insert genes without
interfering with neighboring genes

25. Predictions - 2030
• Human aging genes will be fully
catalogued; clinical trials designed to
increase life span will be initiated
• Computer models of human cells will be
available for research
• Complete genome sequencing will cost less
than $1,000 per person

26. Predictions - 2040
• Comprehensive genomics-based healthcare will be
standard.
• Individualized preventive treatments will be
available and effective.
• Gene therapies and gene-based drug therapies will
be available for most diseases.
• Newborn testing for disease pre-disposition in
adulthood will be feasible.
• The average lifespan will reach 90 yrs.