Biochemistry of Metabolism   (402B1)

Academic year:

2019/2020.

Attendance requirements:

401B1

ECTS:

6

Study level:

Study program:

Teachers:

Milan R. Nikolić, Ph.D.
associate professor, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd

Radivoje M. Prodanović, Ph.D.
full professor, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd

Assistants:

Aleksandra M. Đurđević Đelmaš
research assistant, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd

Karla Ž. Milčić, Ph.D.

Hours of instruction:

Weekly: four hours of lectures + two hours of labwork (4+0+2)

Goals:

Introducing students to the key principles and concepts of biochemical foundations of metabolism, the role and importance of specific anabolic and catabolic pathways in the maintenance of homeostasis and how these pathways are interconnected and regulated.

Outcome:

This course builds on the learning outcomes of the general courses the students have previously attended and once they successfully complete it, students will have basic understanding of the functioning of living systems, which is a prerequisite for understanding specialized courses they will have within their further education.

Teaching methods:

Lectures, experimental exercises.

Extracurricular activities:

—

Coursebooks:

Main coursebooks:

1. Donald Voet, Judith G. Voet, Charlotte W. Pratt: Fundamentals of Biochemistry: Life at the Molecular Level (4^th edition)
2. David L. Nelson, Michael M. Cox: Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry (6^th edition)

Supplementary coursebooks:

• PowerPoint presentations (see "additional materials" below).

Additional material:

http://www.chem.bg.ac.rs/~mnikolic

Lectures:

10 points (4 hours a week)

Syllabus:

Topics:

1. Introduction to metabolism (basic concepts of metabolism; experimental approaches to the study of metabolism);
2. Bioenergetics (ATP and other "high-energy" compounds; oxidation-reduction reactions in metabolism);
3. The metabolism of carbohydrates (glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, the pentose phosphate pathway, the metabolism of other hexoses, the metabolism of glycogen, the principles of metabolic regulation);
4. The tricarboxylic acid cycle (the synthesis of acetyl coenzyme A, the Krebs cycle, the glyoxylate cycle, the principles of metabolic regulation);
5. Oxidative phosphorylation (the electron transport chain, the synthesis of ATP, the principles of metabolic regulation);
6. Photosynthesis (light-dependent and light-independent reactions, the principles of metabolic regulation);
7. Lipid metabolism (the oxidation of fatty acids, ketone bodies; the biosynthesis of fatty acids and triacylglycerols, the biosynthesis of membrane phospholipids and cholesterol, the principles of metabolic regulation);
8. Amino acid metabolism (the oxidation of amino acids, the urea cycle; the biosynthesis of amino acids, nitrogen fixation);
9. Nucleotide metabolism (the synthesis of purine and pyrimidine ribonucleotides, the formation of deoxyribonucleotides, the degradation of nucleotides);
10. The integration of metabolism (metabolic profiles of key metabolic organs, metabolic characteristics of some nutritional diseases).

Labwork:

10 points (2 hours a week)

Syllabus:

Topics:

1. Glycolysis and fermentations;
2. Oxidative phosphorylation;
3. Metabolic Engineering;
4. Photosynthesis;
5. Lipid metabolism;
6. The metabolism of amino acids;
7. The integration of metabolism.

Colloquia:

30 points

Oral exam:

50 points