The students are required to understand the basic laws of thermodynamics, the concept of standard free-energy change and actual free-energy change, the function of ATP and universal electron carriers, such as NAD/NADP and FAD/FAM, in metabolism and energy transfer.
The students are required to understand and remember the 10 reactions of glycolysis, including the enzyme and the coenzymes involved, especially the three irreversible reactions, and the regulation of glycolysis.
The students are required to understand and remember the reactions of the citric acid cycle, including the enzyme and the coenzymes involved, especially those irreversible reactions, and the regulation of the pathway. It is also very important to understand and remember the production of acetate and the regulation of the pathway.
The students are required to understand and remember the reactions of b oxidation of fatty acids, including the enzyme and the coenzymes involved, and the regulation of the reactions. They are also required to understand how ketone bodies are generated.
The students are required to understand the reactions of the urea cycle, including the enzyme and the coenzymes involved, and the regulation of the pathway. They are also required to be familiar with the different pathways of amino acid degradation.
The students are required to understand the electron-transfer reactions in mitochondria, the mechanism of ATP synthesis, and the regulation of oxidative phosphorylation.
The students are required to understand the light-driven electron flow in chloroplast and the mechanism of ATP synthesis by photophosphorylation. The students are also required to understand and remember the similarities and difference between oxidative phosphorylation and photophosphorylation.
The students are required to understand and remember the reactions of gluconeogenesis, including the enzyme and the coenzymes involved, especially those irreversible reactions, and how glycolysis and gluconeogenesis are coordinately regulated. They are also required to be familiar with the reactions and regulation of photosynthetic carbohydrate synthesis.
The students are required to understand and remember the reactions of fatty acid biosynthesis, including the enzyme and the coenzymes involved, and the regulation of the pathway. They are also required to be familiar with the reactions and regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis.
The students are required to be familiar with the reactions of nitrogen fixation, the biosynthesis of different amino acids, and the biosynthesis and degradation of nucleotides. They are required to understand and remember the allosteric regulation of amino acid biosynthesis.
The students are required to understand and remember the specific functions of different tissues in metabolism, and the roles of different hormones, such as epinephrine, glucagon and insulin, in regulating metabolism.
The students are required to understand what a gene is. They are also required to be familiar with the structure of chromatin, nucleoid, and chromosome.
DNA replication is the main topic of this chapter. The students are required to understand and remember the mechanism of DNA replication, including the stages and the enzymes and the proteins involved in each stage. They are also required to be familiar with the different types of DNA repair.
RNA transcription is the main topic of this chapter. The students are required to understand and remember the mechanism of RNA transcription, including the stages, the enzymes and the proteins involved in each stage. They are also required to be familiar with the different types of RNA processing and the reactions of reverse transcription.
Protein synthesis is the main topic of this chapter. The students are required to understand how genetic code was discovered. They are required to understand and remember the mechanism of protein synthesis, including the stages and the enzymes and the proteins involved in each stage. They are also required to be familiar with protein targeting and degradation.