The biomass of our planet consists of representatives of all kingdoms of wildlife: animals, plants, fungi, viruses, bacteria. The number of representatives of each kingdom is so large that one can only wonder how we all fit on Earth. But, despite such diversity, all living things on the planet share several basic features.
Community of all living things
The evidence comes from several key features of living organisms:
- need for nutrition (energy consumption and its conversion inside the body);
- breathing (biooxidation) needs;
- reproducing ability;
- growth and development throughout the life cycle.
Any of the above processes is represented in the body by a mass of chemical reactions. Every second inside any living being, and even more so a person, hundreds of reactions of synthesis and decay of organic molecules occur. Structure, features of chemical action, interaction with each other, synthesis, decay and construction of new structures of molecules of organic and inorganic structure - all this is the subject of studybig, interesting and diverse science. Biochemistry is a young progressive field of knowledge that studies all chemical processes occurring inside living beings.
Object
The object of study of biochemistry are only living organisms and all the processes of vital activity occurring in them. Specifically, chemical reactions that occur during the absorption of food, the release of waste products, growth and development. So, the basics of biochemistry is the study of:
- Non-cellular life forms - viruses.
- Prokaryotic cells of bacteria.
- Higher and lower plants.
- Animals of all known classes.
- The human body.
At the same time, biochemistry itself is a rather young science, which arose only with the accumulation of a sufficient amount of knowledge about the internal processes in living beings. Its emergence and separation dates back to the second half of the 19th century.
Modern branches of biochemistry
At the present stage of development, biochemistry includes several main sections, which are presented in the table.
| Section | Definition | Object of study |
| Dynamic Biochemistry | Studies the chemical reactions that underlie the interconversion of molecules within the body | Metabolites - simple molecules and their derivatives, formed as a result of energy exchange; monosaccharides, fatty acids, nucleotides, amino acids |
| Static Biochemistry | Studies the chemical composition inside organisms and the structure of molecules | Vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, amino acids, nucleotides, lipids, hormones |
| Bioenergy | Engaged in the study of absorption, accumulation and conversion of energy in living biological systems | One of the sections of dynamic biochemistry |
| Functional Biochemistry | Studies the details of all the physiological processes of the body | Nutrition and digestion, breathing, regulation of acid-base balance, muscle contraction, nerve impulse conduction, regulation of the liver and kidneys, the action of the immune and lymphatic systems, and so on |
| Medical biochemistry (human biochemistry) | Studies the processes of metabolism in the human body (in he althy organisms and in diseases) | Animal experiments allow us to develop pure cultures of pathogenic bacteria that cause diseases in humans and find ways to combat them |
Thus, we 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.
Daughter sciences
Over time, so much different knowledge has accumulated and so many scientific skills have been formed in processing research results, breeding bacterial colonies, replicating DNA and RNA,embedding known sections of the genome with desired properties, and so on, which created a need for additional sciences that are child sciences for biochemistry. These are sciences such as:
- molecular biology;
- genetic engineering;
- gene surgery;
- molecular genetics;
- enzymology;
- immunology;
- molecular biophysics.
Each of the listed areas 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 XX century.
Reasons for the intensive development of biochemistry and affiliated 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 form the basis of biochemistry. All these discoveries belong to biochemists and science itself as such. Therefore, there are many prerequisites for its development. There are several modern reasons for its dynamism and intensity in its development.
- The foundations of most chemical processes occurring in living organisms have been revealed.
- The principle of unity in most physiological and energy processes is formulatedfor all living beings (for example, they are the same for bacteria and humans).
- Medical biochemistry provides the key to treating a host of complex and dangerous diseases.
- 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 broad-spectrum science that allows you to find answers to many questions of mankind.
Biochemistry in Russia
In our country, biochemistry is the same progressive and important science as in the whole world. On the territory of Russia there are the Institute of Biochemistry named after A. I. A. N. Bach RAS, Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms. G. K. 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 was discovered, the mechanisms of glycolysis were discovered, the principle of complementarity of nucleotides in the structure of the DNA molecule was formulated, and a number of other important discoveries were made. At the end of XIX and beginning of XX century. Basically, not entire institutes were formed, but the department of biochemistry in some of the universities. However, soon there was a need to expand the space for the study of 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 study of plant biochemistry and physiology is:
- vegetative activitycells;
- photosynthesis;
- breath;
- water regime of plants;
- mineral nutrition;
- crop quality and physiology of its formation;
- plant resistance to pests and adverse environmental conditions.
Value for agriculture
Knowledge of the deep processes of biochemistry in plant cells and tissues makes it possible to improve the quality and quantity of crops of cultivated agricultural plants, which are mass producers of important food for all mankind. In addition, the physiology and biochemistry of plants make it possible to find ways to solve the problems of pest infestation, plant resistance to adverse environmental conditions, and make it possible to improve the quality of crop production.
