Biochem Lecture 1

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The

Origin of Life

·

Simple inorganic molecules combined to form more

complex molecules through a process of chemical evolution. Major stages

include:

o

Prebiotic era (more than 3.5 billion years ago),

inorganic material, organic material (carbon containing), amino acids,

proteins, biomolecules> microfossils of filamentous bacterial cells

o

Transition from randomly generated molecules to

systematic and organized replication of molecules (complementarity)

·

Common functional groups and linkages: table 1-2

(Separate sheet of paper/flashcards)

Cellular Architecture

·

Compartmentation:

o

Enclosed chemical system in a compartmentalized,

high concentration reacts more readily and is more energetically efficient.

·

Prokaryotes vs Eukaryotes

o

Eukaryotes= membrane enclosed nucleus containing

DNA, multicellular and unicellular, organelles

§

Organelles: ER (site of synthesis), Golgi

apparatus (modification), mitochondria (aerobic metabolism), chloroplasts

(photosynthetic organisms), lysosomes, peroxisomes, vacuoles in plant cells,

cytosol and cytoskeleton

o

Prokaryotes: no nucleus, mostly unicellular

bacteria, more simplistic and small/energetically efficient than eukaryotes,

grows rapidly, can withstand extreme temperatures/environments