This text uses a more brief and qualitative approach to present biochemistry with chemical rigor, focusing on the structures of biomolecules, chemical mechanisms, and evolutionary relationships. It is written to impart a sense of intellectual history of biochemistry, an understanding of the tools and approaches used to solve biochemical puzzles, and a hint of the excitement that accompanies new discoveries. This edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect the most recent advances in biochemistry, particularly in the areas of genomics and structural biology. A new chapter focuses on cytoskeletal and motor proteins, currently one of the most active areas of research in biochemistry.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to the Chemistry of Life. 2. Water. 3. Nucleotides, Nucleic Acids, and Genetic Information. 4. Amino Acids. 5. Proteins: Primary Structure. 6. Proteins: Three-Dimensional Structure. 7. Protein Function: Myoglobin and Hemoglobin. 8. Carbohydrates. 9. Lipids & Biological Membranes. 10. Membrane Transport. 11. Enzymatic Catalysis. 12. Enzyme Kinetics, Inhibition, and Regulation. 13. Introduction to Metabolism. 14. Glucose Catabolism. 15. Glycogen Metabolism and Gluconeogenesis. 16. Citric Acid Cycle. 17. Electron Transport and Oxidative Phosphorylation. 18. Photosynthesis. 19. Lipid Metabolism. 20. Amino Acid Metabolism. 21. Mammalian Fuel Metabolism: Integration and Regulation. 22. Nucleotide Metabolism. 23. Nucleic Acid Structure. 24. DNA Replication, Repair, and Recombination. 25. Transcription and RNA Processing. 26. Translation. 27. Regulation of Gene Expression. 28. Protein Function Part II: Cytoskeletal and Motor Proteins and Antibodies. Cases. Kinemage Exercises.