Biochemistry is ... Basics of biochemistry

The biomass of our planet consists of representatives of all the kingdoms of living nature: animals, plants, fungi, viruses, bacteria. The number of representatives of each kingdom is so great that it remains to be surprised how we all fit on the Earth. But, despite such diversity, all living things on the planet unite several basic features.

The community of all living things

Evidence consists of several main features of living organisms:

• The need for nutrition (energy consumption and transformation of it within the body);
• The need for breathing (biological oxidation) ;
• Ability to reproduce;
• Growth and development during the life cycle.

Any of the listed processes is represented in the body by a mass of chemical reactions. Every second within any living being, let alone a human being, hundreds of reactions occur in the synthesis and decomposition of organic molecules. The structure, the features of the chemical effect, the interaction with each other, the synthesis, decay and construction of new structures of molecules of the organic and inorganic structure - all this is the subject of studying a large, interesting and diverse science. Biochemistry is a young progressive field of knowledge that studies all the chemical processes that take place inside living beings.

An object

The object of studying biochemistry is only living organisms and all the processes of vital activity that take place in them. And specifically - the chemical reactions that occur during the absorption of food, the allocation of products of vital activity, growth and development. Thus, the basis of biochemistry is the study:

1. Non-cellular forms of life - viruses.
2. Prokaryotic cells of bacteria.
3. Higher and lower plants.
4. Animals of all known classes.
5. The human body.

At the same time, biochemistry itself is a fairly young science that has arisen only with the accumulation of a sufficient amount of knowledge about internal processes in living beings. Its emergence and isolation dates back to the second half of the XIX century.

Modern sections of biochemistry

At the present stage of development, biochemistry includes several main sections, which are presented in the table.

Thus, one can say that biochemistry is a whole complex of small sciences that cover the whole variety of the most complex internal processes of living systems.

Subsidiary sciences

Over time, so many different knowledge accumulated, and so many scientific skills were developed for processing the results of research, breeding bacterial colonies, replicating DNA and RNA, integrating known segments of the genome with prescribed properties, and so on, that there was a need for additional sciences that are subsidiaries for biochemistry . These are such sciences as:

• molecular biology;
• Genetic Engineering;
• Gene surgery;
• Molecular genetics;
• Enzymology;
• immunology;
• Molecular biophysics.

Each of these fields of knowledge has a lot of achievements in the study of bioprocesses in living biological systems, therefore it is very important. All of them belong to the sciences of the 20th century.

Causes of intensive development of biochemistry and subsidiary sciences

In 1958, the Koran discovered the gene and its structure, after which in 1961 the genetic code was deciphered. Then the structure of the DNA molecule was established - a double-stranded structure capable of reduplication (self-reproduction). All the subtleties of metabolic processes (anabolism and catabolism) were described, the tertiary and quaternary structure of the protein molecule was studied. And this is not a complete list of the grandiose discoveries of the 20th century, which are the basis of biochemistry. All these discoveries belong to biochemists and to science itself. Therefore, there are many prerequisites for its development. One can single out several modern reasons for its dynamism and intensity in becoming.

1. The foundations of most chemical processes occurring in living organisms are revealed.
2. The principle of unity in the majority of physiological and energy processes for all living beings is formulated (for example, they are the same in bacteria and humans).
3. Medical biochemistry makes it possible to obtain the key to the treatment of a variety of complex and dangerous diseases.
4. With the help of biochemistry it became possible to get close to solving the most global issues of biology and medicine.

Hence the conclusion: biochemistry is a progressive, important and very broadly spectral science that allows finding answers to many questions of humanity.

Biochemistry in Russia

In our country, biochemistry is just as progressive and important a science as in the whole world. The Institute of Biochemistry im. AN Bakh Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms. GK Skryabin RAS, Research Institute of Biochemistry SB RAS. Our scientists have a great role and many merits in the history of the development of science. For example, the method of immunoelectrophoresis, the mechanisms of glycolysis, the principle of complementarity of nucleotides in the structure of the DNA molecule was discovered and a number of other important discoveries were made. In the late XIX and early XX century. In general, not whole institutions were formed, but the Department of Biochemistry in some of the universities. However, soon there was a need to expand the space for studying this science in connection with its intensive development.

Biochemical processes of plants

Biochemistry of plants is inextricably linked with physiological processes. In general, the subject of studying biochemistry and physiology of plants is:

• Vital activity of the plant cell;
• photosynthesis;
• breath;
• Water regime of plants;
• Mineral nutrition;
• The quality of the crop and the physiology of its formation;
• Resistance of plants to pests and adverse environmental conditions.

Importance for Agriculture

Knowledge of the deep processes of biochemistry in plant cells and tissues allows to increase the quality and quantity of crop of cultivated agricultural plants, which are mass producers of important food products for all mankind. In addition, the physiology and biochemistry of plants allow us to find ways to solve problems of pest infestation, plant resistance to unfavorable environmental conditions, and provide an opportunity to improve the quality of crop production.