Chapter 1

Figure 1.1-1

Figure 1.1-2 and
Figure 1.1-3

Sample Figures

Preface

List of Contributors

• A list of common abbreviations
• Links to twelve sample figures you will find throughout the text
• Links to the Table of Contents, Preface, and the List of Contributors

1 Introduction and General Aspects

This book deals with the chemistry of living organisms. However, this topic cannot be considered in an isolated way, but has to be placed into a more general context. In two introductory chapters, a short outline of interconnections with neighboring sciences is given. Chapter 1 deals with the organic chemistry of important components present in living organisms and with the physical chemistry of reactions. Chapter 2 describes the overall organization of cells and their organelles as well as the structure of proteins and nucleic acids. This is followed by a discussion of enzyme function, which depends on the protein structure and regulates almost all biological processes.

The biochemistry of living beings is a complicated network with multiple interconnections. Figures 1.1-1 ... 1.1-3 give a simplified survey of the main metabolic pathways in order to allow quick location of the detailed descriptions in this book. The decimal classification numbers in the various boxes refer to chapters and sections.

Chapters 3 ... 8 are devoted to general metabolism, focusing on small molecules (carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids including steroids, nucleotides). Figure 1.1-1, which abstracts these chapters, shows only biosynthetic pathways and sequences passed through in both directions (amphibolic pathways). This avoids a complicated presentation. (In the chapters, however, the degradation pathways of these compounds are usually dealt with immediately following the biosynthesis reactions.) Most of the compounds mentioned here are 'key compounds', which appear in the detailed figures later in this book either at the beginning or at the end of the reaction sequences. The classification of these compounds into chemical groups is indicated by the color background of the names.

Chapter 9 deals with vitamins and cofactors, which are involved in many reactions of general metabolism.

Chapters 10 and 11 describe the storage of information in DNA and its translation into proteins by bacteria and eukaryotes, respectively. Figure 11.1-2 gives a short outline of these reactions, subdivided into bacterial reactions (left) and eukaryotic reactions (right).

Viruses, which utilize these mechanisms in hosts, are dealt with in Chapter 12.

Glycosylations of the formed proteins and related reactions with lipids are the subject of Chapter 13. Chapter 14 deals with the folding and transport mechanisms of proteins.

Specialized bacterial reactions, including energy aspects, are described in Chapter 15. Aerobic respiration and its central role in energy turnover, as well as the photosynthetic reactions, which are the source of almost all compounds in living beings, are dealt with in Chapter 16.

Chapter 17 has the topic of cellular communication and of regulation mechanisms employed by multicellular organisms. Figure 1.1-3 summarizes these multiple interconnections in a very short way. More details can be obtained from Figure 17.1-3.

Chapter 18 gives a survey of transport mechanisms, which transfer bulk compounds between cells.

Chapter 19 deals with the defense mechanisms of higher animals and Chapter 20 with blood coagulation.

Every presentation can only contain a selection of the present knowledge. For this reason, the final Chapter 21 is intended to assist in obtaining further information from electronic sources, which offer the most comprehensive collection of scientific results available today, as well as from printed sources.