Foundations of Modern Biochemistry 1.1 2007/10/08 19:54:09.100 GMT-5 2007/10/08 20:01:42.345 GMT-5 Thang Tien Nguyen hungtran@vef.gov Thang Tien Nguyen hungtran@vef.gov Biochemistry Biochemistry seeks to describe the structure, organization, and functions of living matter in molecular terms. It can be divided into three principal areas: 1. The structural chemistry of the components of living matter and the relationship of biological function to chemical structure. 2. Metabolism - the totality of chemical reactions that occur in living matter. 3. The chemistry of processes and substances that store and transmit biological information. Figure 1.3: Interweaving of the historical traditions of biochemistry, cell biology, and genetics.

Adapted from W. M. Becker, L. J. Kleinsmith, and J. Hardin, The World of the Cell, 4th ed. (San Francisco, CA: Addison Wesley Longman, 2000). © Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.