Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Abstract

This part of the course introduces the molecular principles of the central dogma, from DNA structure and replication to RNA transcription and protein translation. Students will explore molecular techniques to study DNA, RNA, and proteins, and apply this knowledge to case studies in food, agricultural, and environmental sciences, with a focus on gene regulation and biotechnological applications.

Objective

By the end of this course, students will be able to explain the molecular mechanisms that govern cellular functions and how to analyze them using molecular techniques. To achieve this, they need to be able to do the following: 1) Explain the structure and function of the genetic material as well as the processes of its natural and artificial change. - Describe the structure and function of DNA, RNA, and proteins. - Explain the Central Dogma of molecular biology: how genetic information is transferred and expressed (DNA replication, transcription, translation) and how these processes are regulated. 2) Describe basic molecular techniques (PCR, gel electrophoresis, restriction enzyme digestion, cloning, DNA sequencing, RNA expression, protein detection and quantification). - List and classify techniques by type (DNA, RNA, protein); Explain the goal and underlying principle of each technique - summarize main steps. Select appropriate technique for a given research question. - Analyze molecular biology data, such as DNA gel images, sequence alignments, and gene expression profiles. - Describe experiments involving a subset of molecular techniques (methods, results, interpretation, potential applications). 3) Apply molecular biology to real-world questions in medicine, agriculture, environmental science. - Use critical thinking to solve molecular biology problems, such as designing primers for PCR, predicting mutation effects, or planning experiments to test hypotheses. - Develop skills in interpreting experimental results and troubleshooting errors in experiments. 4) Use technical terms of molecular biology to describe and explain biological processes. - Vocabulary acquisition: identify and define key technical terms (e.g., gene, transcription, exon, polymerase, etc.). - Critical comparison: differentiate between related terms and processes (e.g. DNA vs RNA polymerase; intron vs exon). Biochemistry: Students are able to describe the structure of proteins/enzymes and explain the dependence of biochemical function on the 3D structure using several examples. The focus is on understanding enzymatically catalyzed reactions, i.e., how chemical and thermodynamic principles can be applied to these reactions. Students can also estimate how and for what reasons proteins/enzymes change during evolution. The basic regulatory processes of metabolism are known. It is possible to estimate how the flow of one metabolic pathway may depend on the activity of another. Students can predict how the activities of metabolic pathways change under specific conditions.

Content

Molecular Biology: 1) The Central Dogma (DNA -> RNA -> Proteins) 2) Control of gene expression 3) Molecular methods (DNA analysis, molecular cloning, genome editing, RNA expression, protein detection and quantification) 4) Application and case studies (Bioinformatics workshop, molecular biology in Plant Science and Food Science) Biochemistry: 1) 3D structure of proteins/enzymes 2) Enzymes as catalysts 3) Enzymatic mechanisms 4) Basic metabolic pathways: glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, pentose phosphate pathway, citric acid cycle, glyoxylate pathway, fatty acid metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation

Resources