Biochemistry

Year
1
Academic year
2022-2023
Code
01550690
Subject Area
BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDIC SCIENCES
Language of Instruction
Portuguese
Mode of Delivery
Face-to-face
Duration
SEMESTRIAL
ECTS Credits
6.0
Type
Compulsory
Level
1st Cycle Studies

Recommended Prerequisites

The student must have a background in basic Organic chemistry and Cell Biology. Ability to read scientifc texts in English.

Teaching Methods

Lectures, lab classes and final exame (70% lectures + 30% lab classes).

Learning Outcomes

Biochemistry provides the understanding of structure and function of biomacromolecules and the metabolic conversions
1.The students should be able to understand the basic chemical properties of biomolecules and how these properties determine its structure and functions
2.The students should be able to discuss how the collections of inanimate molecules that constitute living organisms interact to maintain and perpetuate life animated solely by the physical and chemical laws that govern the nonliving universe
More specifically:
a) Structure-function relationship
b) How do the interactions of the biomolecules give rise to supramolecular structures, cells, multicellular tissues, and organisms
c) Biomolecules as pharmacologic targets
d) Energy metabolism
3. The student should be able to apply Biochemistry knowledge to tackle problems and understand the mechanism and their regulation in the areas of, Biomedicine, Physiology, Toxicology, Pharmacology, Agriculture, Nutrition and Environment.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

Water and weak chemical interactions. Hydrophobic effect and spontaneous molecular organization.
Proteins:
Structure, function and interactions
Translation and post-translational control. Proteome dynamics
Domains in proteins and critical examples in biological processes.
Supramolecular organization.
Proteostasis and quality control. Chaperones, ubiquitin:proteosome system and autophagy.
Enzymes, mechanisms, kinetics and regulation.
Glucides: structure and biological relevance
Lipids and biological membranes: structure and diversity of functions.
Nucleic acids: structure and genetic information.
Metabolism:
Metabolic pathways and metabolic “design”.
Lab classes:
Acid-base properties of aminoacids.
Conformational stability and solubility of proteins
Quantification and fractionation: ionic exchange chromatography
Enzymatic activity: pH and T.

Head Lecturer(s)

João António Nave Laranjinha

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Exam: 100.0%

Bibliography

In addition to classical Biochemistry Books, such as:
- Nelson, D. L. and Cox, M. M.: Lehninger. Principles of Biochemistry. 4th edition. W. H. Freeman and Company. New York. 2005.
- Devlin, T. M.: Textbook of Biochemistry with Clinical Correlations. 4th edition, Wiley -Liss. A John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Publication, New York,1997.- Berg, J. M., Tymoczko, J. L. and L. Stryer.: Biochemistry. 6th edition. W. H. Freeman and Company. New York. 2006.
- Alexandre Quintas, Ana P. Freire e Manuel J. Halpern. Bioquímica Organização molecular da vida. Lidel. 2008
The professor provides the students with a manual, consisting in the slides described and commented in the notes page and organized in chapters. Each slide is described with the help of research papers and professor´s notes. The research papers are thus included as references along the slides according to the respective subjects.