The Manga Guide to Biochemistry

Preface
Prologue
1. What Happens Inside Your Body?
Cell Structure
What are the components of a cell?
What Happens Inside a Cell?
Protein Synthesis
Metabolism
Energy Production
Photosynthesis
A Cell Is the Location of Many Chemical Reactions
Biochemistry of Protein Synthesis
Biochemistry of Metabolism
Biochemistry of Energy Production
Biochemistry of Photosynthesis
Fundamental Biochemistry Knowledge
Carbon
Chemical Bonds
Biopolymers
Enzymes
Oxidation-Reduction
Respiration
Metabolism
2. Photosynthesis and Respiration
Ecosystems and Cycles
Ecosystems and the Biogeochemical Cycle
What is the Biogeochemical Cycle?
Carbon Cycle
Let’s Talk Photosynthesis
The Importance of Plants
Chloroplast Structure
Photosynthesis—The Photophosphorylation Reaction
Photosynthesis—Carbon Dioxide Fixation
Respiration
What Is a Carbohydrate?
Saccharides and the “-ose” Suffix
Why do Monosaccharides Take a Cyclic Structure?
Why Do We Need to Breathe?
Respiration Is a Reaction That Breaks Down Glucose to Create Energy
Stage 1: Glucose Decomposition by Glycolysis
Stage 2: Citric acid Cycle (aka TCA Cycle)
Stage 3: Mass Production of Energy by the Electron Transport Chain
Conclusion
ATP—The Common Currency of Energy
Types of Monosaccharides
Aldoses and Ketoses
Pyranose and Furanose
D-form and L-form
What Is CoA?
3. Biochemistry in Our Everyday Lives
Lipids and Cholesterol
What are Lipids?
Fatty Acids
Cholesterol Is a Type of Steroid
Cholesterol’s Job
Lipoproteins: Beyond Good and Evil
What is Arteriosclerosis?
Is Cholesterol Really Bad?
Biochemistry of Obesity—Why Is Fat Stored?
Ingested and Expended Energy
Animals Preserve Fat
Excess Saccharides Become Fat!
When Fat Is Used as An Energy Source
Why Do You Gain Weight If You Overeat?
What Is Blood Type?
Blood Type
How is Blood Type Determined?
What is Blood Type?
Why Does Fruit Get Sweeter as It Ripens?
What Types of Sugar Are In Fruit?
Monosaccharides, Oligosaccharides, and Polysaccharides
How Fruits Become Sweet
Why Does Fruit Become Sweet?
Why Are Mochi Rice Cakes Springy?
Differences Between Normal Rice and Mochi Rice
The Difference Between Amylose and Amylopectin
What Do the Numbers Mean in ?(1->4) and ?(1->6)?
Why are Mochi Rice Cakes Springy?
4. Enzymes Are the Keys to Chemical Reactions
Enzymes and Proteins
The Roles of Proteins
What Is an Enzyme?
Proteins are Formed from Amino Acids
Primary Structure of a Protein
Secondary Structure of a Protein
Tertiary Structure of a Protein
Quaternary Stucture of a Protein and Subunits
An Enzyme’s Job
Substrates and Enzymes
Strict Enzyme? Relaxed Enzyme?
Enzyme Classifications
Transferases
Glucosyltransferase Determines Blood Type
Hydrolases
Using Graphs to Understand Enzymes
Why are Enzymes Important for Chemical Reactions?
What Is Activation Energy?
Enzymes Bring Down the "Wall"
Maximum Reaction Rate
The Michaelis-Menten Equation and the Michaelis Constant
Let’s Calculate Vmax and Km!
Why Do We Take Reciprocals?
Enzymes and Inhibitors
Allosteric Enzymes
5. Molecular Biology and the Biochemistry of Nucleic Acids
What Is Nucleic Acid?
Nucleic Acid Basics
The Discovery of Nuclein
Nucleic Acid and Nucleotides
Base Complementarity and DNA Structure
DNA Replication and the Enzyme DNA Polymerase
RNA Structure
Nucleic Acid and Genes
DNA is the Language of Genes
RNA has Several Jobs
mRNA
rRNA and tRNA
Ribozymes
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The Dirty Job of a Biochemist
Early Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Development of Recombinant DNA Techniques
Returning to Biochemistry
The Origin of the Cell
Conducting Biochemistry Experiments
Column Chromatography
Electrophoresis and a Western Blot
Lectin Blotting
Centrifugation
Enzyme Reaction Measurement
Epilogue
Index