R. Garrett – Biochemistry (6th edition, 2017)

Описание

The Sixth Edition
Scientific understanding of the molecular nature of life is growing at an astounding rate.
Significantly, society is the prime beneficiary of this increased understanding. Cures for
diseases, better public health, remedies for environmental pollution, and the development
of cheaper and safer natural products are just a few practical benefits of this knowledge.
In addition, this expansion of information fuels, in the words of Thomas Jefferson,
“the illimitable freedom of the human mind.” Scientists can use the tools of biochemistry
and molecular biology to explore all aspects of an organism—from basic questions about
its chemical composition, through inquiries into the complexities of its metabolism, its
differentiation and development, to analysis of its evolution and even its behavior. New
procedures based on the results of these explorations lie at the heart of the many modern
medical miracles. Biochemistry is a science whose boundaries now encompass all aspects
of biology, from molecules to cells, to organisms, to ecology, and to all aspects of health
care. This sixth edition of Biochemistry embodies and reflects the expanse of this knowledge.
We hope that this new edition will encourage students to ask questions of their own
and to push the boundaries of their curiosity about science.
Making Connections
As the explication of natural phenomena rests more and more on biochemistry, its inclusion
in undergraduate and graduate curricula in biology, chemistry, and the health
sciences becomes imperative. The challenge to authors and instructors is a formidable
one: how to familiarize students with the essential features of modern biochemistry in an
introductory course or textbook. Fortunately, the increased scope of knowledge allows
scientists to make generalizations connecting the biochemical properties of living systems
with the character of their constituent molecules. As a consequence, these generalizations,
validated by repetitive examples, emerge in time as principles of biochemistry, principles
that are useful in discerning and describing new relationships between diverse biomolecular
functions and in predicting the mechanisms underlying newly discovered biomolecular
processes. Nevertheless, it is increasingly apparent that students must develop skills in
inquiry-based learning, so that, beyond this first encounter with biochemical principles
and concepts, students are equipped to explore science on their own. Much of the design
of this new edition is meant to foster the development of such skills.
We are both biochemists, but one of us is in a biology department, and the other is in
a chemistry department. Undoubtedly, we each view biochemistry through the lens of
our respective disciplines. We believe, however, that our collaboration on this textbook
represents a melding of our perspectives that will provide new dimensions of appreciation
and understanding for all students.
Our Audience
This biochemistry textbook is designed to communicate the fundamental principles
governing the structure, function, and interactions of biological molecules to students
encountering biochemistry for the first time. We aim to bring an appreciation of
biochemistry to a broad audience that includes undergraduates majoring in the life sciences,
physical sciences, or premedical programs, as well as medical students and graduate
students in the various health sciences for whom biochemistry is an important route to
understanding human physiology. To make this subject matter more relevant and interesting
to all readers, we emphasize, where appropriate, the biochemistry of humans.
Objectives and Building on Previous Editions
We carry forward the clarity of purpose found in previous editions; namely, to illuminate
for students the principles governing the structure, function, and interactions of
biological molecules. At the same time, this new edition has been revised to reflect
tremendous developments in biochemistry. Significantly, emphasis is placed on the
interrelationships of ideas so that students can begin to appreciate the overarching
questions of biochemistry.
Features
●● Clarity of Instruction This edition was re-organized for increased clarity and readability.
Many of the lengthier figure legends were shortened and more information
was included directly within illustrations. These changes will help the more visual
reader.
●● Visual Instruction The richness of the Protein Data Bank (www.pdb.org) and availability
of molecular graphics software has been exploited to enliven this text. Over
440 images of prominent proteins and nucleic acids involved with essential biological
functions illustrate and inform the subject matter and were prepared especially for
this book.
●● Essential Questions organization Each chapter in this book is framed around an
Essential Question that invites students to become actively engaged in their learning
and encourages curiosity and imagination about the subject matter. For example, the
Essential Question of Chapter 3 asks, “What are the laws and principles of thermodynamics
that allow us to describe the flows and interchanges of heat, energy, and
matter in biochemical systems?” The section heads then pose Key Questions that serve
as organizing principles for a lecture such as, “What is the daily human requirement
for ATP?” The subheadings are designed to be concept statements that respond to the
section headings. The end-of-chapter Summary then brings each question together
with a synopsis of the answer that summarizes the important concepts and facts to
aid students in organizing and understanding the material.
● Foundational Biochemistry At the end of each chapter, a new Foundational Biochemistry
feature has been added. These sections provide a comprehensive list of the principal
facts and concepts that a student should understand after reading each chapter.
Presented as short statements or descriptive phrases, the items of the Foundational
Biochemistry list serve as guides to students of the knowledge they have acquired
from the chapter and as checklists the students can review in assessing their learning.
●● End-of-Chapter Problems More than 600 end-of-chapter problems are provided. They
serve as meaningful exercises that help students develop problem-solving skills useful
in achieving their learning goals. Some problems require students to employ calculations
to find mathematical answers to relevant structural or functional questions.
Other questions address conceptual problems whose answers require application and
integration of ideas and concepts introduced in the chapter. Each set of problems
includes MCAT practice questions to aid students in their preparation for standardized
examinations such as the MCAT or GRE.
●● End-of-chapter problem headings allow students to place the problem within the context
of the subject matter they have learned.
●● Further Readings sections at the end of each chapter make it easy for students to find
up-to-date additional information about each topic
●● Critical Developments in Biochemistry essays emphasize recent and historical advances
in the field.
●● Human Biochemistry essays emphasize the central role of basic biochemistry in medicine
and the health sciences. These essays often present clinically important issues
such as diet, diabetes, and cardiovascular health.
●● A Deeper Look essays expand on the text, highlighting selected topics or experimental
observations.
●● Laboratory Techniques The experimental nature of biochemistry is highlighted, and a
list of laboratory techniques found in this book can be seen on page xxx.
Highlights of This Edition
●● ActiveModels Library of Proteins and Nucleic Acids is an optional online resource
(http://www.psafe.us) for exploration of over 1,000 protein and nucleic acid structures,
particularly those described in this text. Each structure is presented as a “Molecular
Document” using the ICM Browser Pro modeling program developed by Molsoft,
LLC in La Jolla, CA. These molecular documents were created by undergraduate
biochemistry students at the University of Virginia and illustrate macromolecular
structures with rich, vivid, state-of-the-art graphics accompanied by a script that
highlights pertinent structure-function correlations. Hyperlinks in the text window of
each entry control the graphic display and present a variety of perspectives and features
for each protein or nucleic acid. A number of end-of-chapter problems challenge
students to explore macromolecular structure and function through examination of
these molecular documents.