BIOL 334 Comparative Biochemistry Units: 3.00
A survey of selected topics including: general principles of enzymology; bioenergetics; metabolism and its control; the importance of proteomic and enzyme research in functional genomics and biotechnology; mechanisms whereby animals and plants acclimate at the biochemical level to environmental stress.
Learning Hours: 110.4 (36 Lecture, 24 Online Activity, 50.4P)
Offering Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Science
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Describe how evolution of key adaptations at the metabolic/biochemical level allows diverse organisms from the various kingdoms of life to inhabit a wide range of frequently "harsh" environments.
- Identify fundamental similarities and distinctions between animal, plant, and microbial bioenergetics, and the organization and control of their major pathways of central metabolism.
- Outline the pivotal importance of intracellular "second messengers" and protein kinase-mediated phosphorylation in extracellular signal transduction.
- Provide a basic understanding of the overall design of cellular metabolism, bioenergetics, and metabolic control.
- Survey the crucial role that metabolic and enzyme biochemistry is playing in biotechnology, particularly for the targeted modification of metabolic pathways in transgenic organisms via "rational metabolic engineering".
- Understand how metabolic biochemistry and proteomics research is helping to "close the gap" in understanding the function of sequenced genes.