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Thang Nguyen
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Abstract
Biochemistry seeks to describe the structure, organization, and functions of living matter in molecular
terms. It can be divided into three principal areas: 1. The structural chemistry of the components of
living matter and the relationship of biological function to chemical structure. 2. Metabolism - the
totality of chemical reactions that occur in living matter. 3. The chemistry of processes and substances
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genetics became inextricably interwoven, and the new science of molecular biology emerged. The distinction
between molecular biology and biochemistry is not always clear, because both disciplines take as their
province the complete denition of life in molecular terms.
Biochemistry draws its major themes from
1. Organic chemistry, which describes the properties of biomolecules
2. Biophysics, which applies the techniques of physics to study the structures of biomolecules
3. Medical research, which increasingly seeks to understand disease states in molecular terms
4. Nutrition, which has illuminated metabolism by describing the dietary requirements for maintenance
of health;
5. Microbiology, which has shown that single-celled organisms and viruses are ideally suited for the
elucidation of many metabolic pathways and regulatory mechanisms
6. Physiology, which investigates life processes at the tissue and organism levels
7. Cell biology, which describes the biochemical division of labor within a cell
8. Genetics, which describes mechanisms that give a particular cell or organism its biochemical identity.
See also: Polypeptides3 , Polysaccharides4 , Nucleic Acids5 , Amino Acids6 , Sugars7 , Nucleotides8 ,
DNA9
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3 http://legacy.cnx.org/content/m15218/latest/le:///D:%5CNGUYEN%20TIEN%20THANG%5Cnguon%5Cpolypept.htm
4 http://legacy.cnx.org/content/m15218/latest/le:///D:%5CNGUYEN%20TIEN%20THANG%5Cch09%5Cc09psac.htm
5 http://legacy.cnx.org/content/m15218/latest/le:///D:%5CNGUYEN%20TIEN%20THANG%5Cnguon%5Cnucacids.htm
6 http://legacy.cnx.org/content/m15218/latest/le:///D:%5CNGUYEN%20TIEN%20THANG%5Cch05%5Cc05aa.htm
7 http://legacy.cnx.org/content/m15218/latest/le:///D:%5CNGUYEN%20TIEN%20THANG%5Cnguon%5Csugars.htm
8 http://legacy.cnx.org/content/m15218/latest/le:///D:%5CNGUYEN%20TIEN%20THANG%5Cch04%5Cnucltide.htm
9 http://legacy.cnx.org/content/m15218/latest/le:///D:%5CNGUYEN%20TIEN%20THANG%5Cnguon%5Cdna.htm
10 http://legacy.cnx.org/content/m15218/latest/le:///D:%5CNGUYEN%20TIEN%20THANG%5Cnguon%5C0concept.htm
11 http://legacy.cnx.org/content/m15218/latest/le:///D:%5CNGUYEN%20TIEN%20THANG%5Cnguon%5C0concept.htm
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