Essentials Of Biochemistry

Essentials of Biochemistry . Herbert J. Fromm l Mark S. Hargrove Essentials of Biochemistry Dr. Herbert J. Fromm Iowa State University Dept. Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology Ames Iowa USA Dr. Mark S. Hargrove Iowa State University Dept. Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology Ames Iowa USA ISBN 978-3-642-19623-2 e-ISBN 978-3-642-19624-9 DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-19624-9 Springer Heidelberg Dordrecht London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2011940318 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Violations are liable to prosecution under the German Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) This book is dedicated to the memory of Fred Rudolph (1945–2003), superb scientist, student (HJF), mentor (MSH), and friend. . Preface Based on exceptional intellectual and experimental achievements of biochemists and structural biologists, biochemical information continues to accumulate at a nearly exponential rate well into the twenty-first century. What becomes obvious is that neither the student nor the instructor can be expected to comprehend this enormous volume of material in a classroom setting, and certainly not in any first course. We have therefore chosen to present those topics and details that we believe are central to contemporary biochemistry and that will remain relevant to the science of biochemistry well into the foreseeable future. This textbook is aimed at undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry students as well as first-year biochemistry graduate students. Based on lectures given to students with strong chemistry backgrounds at Iowa State University, this book emphasizes metabolism and enzyme reaction mechanisms. By omitting regulatory pathways and such structural details as residue numbers provided in more comprehensive textbooks, “Essentials of Biochemistry” helps students to focus on how enzymes function and how their reactions are studied. Moreover, while contemporary biochemistry includes what is often termed cell biology, many universities (including ours) teach such topics within their biology curriculum, thus eliminating any need to cover them herein in detail. As the title of the book implies, the text lays the basis for an understanding of the “Essentials of Biochemistry” and is not intended to be an encyclopedia of biochemistry nor a substitute for any of the excellent comprehensive texts currently available. We believe that such an approach benefits those seeking to master bioche