What knowledge have you connected with past knowledge?

   Biochemistry is full of rich connections to the past knowledge up to this point. It is a coming together of past education and placing it in such a way to fill in the details of the underlying mechanics and function. It is the integration of Organic Chemistry, Microbiology, Chemistry, and Biology ideals and placing it all together in the commonality of Biological Chemistry. From atomic structure to complex carbohydrates, it all touches upon the other schools of thought up to this point.

   Beginning with the comparison of Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes in Chapter 1 touches base with past knowledge of Microbiology and the separation of organelle and their functions. As we move forward to pH and pKa values in Chapter 2 touches upon the principles used in General Chemistry. Chapter 3 and Amino acids brings back the functionality of Organic Chemistry and its classifications of Carboxy groups and Amino groups with their backbone peptide structure. Chapter 4 and proteins gain more traction with Organic Chemistry and application of structure determination of function and its formula reactions.

   The one strong connection that stands out to me is Enzymatic activity. The combining of a Enzyme and substrate to for the E-S complex is a strong reminder of the ideals set forth in Biology. Enzymes and its catalysts are such a vital part of the homeostasis of all biological organisms.

Find a protein using PDB explorer–describe your protein, including what disease state or other real-world application it has. p53 (protein 53 or tumor protein 53)     p53 is a tumor suppressor protein encoded by the TP53 gene. p53 is crucial in many multicellular organisms for its function of regulation of the cell cycle by preventing cells from growing & dividing too fast or uncontrollably, which works as a tumor suppressor. The name p53 refers to its molecular mass which is 53-kilodalton (kDa). p53 tumor suppressor is a flexible molecule composed of 4 identical protein chains. For its role in preserving stability and preventing genome mutation, p53 has been described as "the guardian of the genome".    The cellular DNA faces many dangers including chemicals, viruses, radiation, and UV rays. p53 binds directly to DNA at chromosome 17 in humans. p53 serves a critical role in determining whether the DNA will be repaired, or the damaged cell will undergo apoptosis (self-destruction). If the DNA can be repaired, p53 activated genes which trigger DNA repairing proteins. p53 also arrests growth by holding the cell in the G1/S regulation point of its cell cycle. By holding its at this point, it allows the DNA repair proteins to fix the damage and continue its cell cycle. If the DNA cannot be repaired p53 suppresses cell division and signals for apoptosis. This prevents cells with mutated or damaged DNA from dividing, and prevents tumor development.    p53 has a central role in protecting your body from cancer. Cancer cells use two methods of mutations. They either cause uncontrolled growth and multiplication, or block the normal defense that protect against unnatural growth. Cancer changes the p53 protein and the TP53 gene by causing missense mutations that allow the cell to build with a p53 error. In this mutant the p53 is blocked and causes multiplication and uncontrolled growth, and the cell develops a tumor.

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


   Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes that make up living things. It is the driving force behind all living matter. It is a multidisciplinary field that takes the ideas of other fields and breaks it down to its essence. It is the molecular nature of life processes. It primarily involves the structures of biological cellular components, and there functions on a molecular level. 


   Biochemistry differs from these other fields such as genetics, which is the study of the structure of genes and DNA specifically, where as Biochemistry deals with the chemistry of the entire cell the genes are in. Biology obviously lends itself to the beginning of the name, but biology is more of a grand scheme ideal which includes all of the processes involved in life, and biochemistry in the molecular make up specifically withing the biological cell. Chemistry is the foundation for all matter within the universe, living or not, the gives the groundwork for biochemistry to deal specifically with the chemical interactions of living matter. Molecular biology deal more specifically with the biological form of living matter, & Biochemistry explores more on function. 


    The field of biochemistry is forever linked to these other fields with research across the board linking the other disciplines. Biochemistry is the ideals of living matter and its function, but is tied within the disciplines of genetics and its genetic differences, & molecular biology with the building blocks of transcription, translation, and replication. Biochemistry is the chemistry behind all biological processes and synthesis of biological molecules.