Which b
I’m interested in learning about how biological processes work. For example:
Viruses attach to cell receptors, how do they do this? What is the underlying mechanism to this attachment?
How do enzymes break apart proteins? How do the proteins bind to the enzyme receptor sites?
The books I’ve looked at tell me what happens, but they don’t really say how it happens. Should I be looking at biochemistry or molecular biology textbooks? I would appreciate any suggestions for books or websites that would help answer these questions.
The message posted before I finished typing it, and I took too long to edit it. Sorry.
Sounds like biochemistry. Some years ago I learned a lot about the kind of things you mention from Stryer’s Biochemistry. I really liked the book, but others did not, and I cannot vouch for the more recent editions. Regardless, it might be hard to follow if you don’t have at least a basic grounding in general chem and organic chem.
I was going to say Biochemistry and Microbiology. Both cover different aspects of what you are looking for.
Biochem was one of my hardest classes in college, but I wasn’t a great Chemistry or Math student to start with.
Biochemistry, with perhaps a side helping of structural biology. Although the borders between biochemistry and molecular biology are blurry, in general the biochemist is more interested in mechanistic and structural details. The molecular biologist is more interested in larger networks of interactions, but usually thinks in qualitative terms about a given interaction.
Many particular topics span a wide range of disciplines. “Virology” covers the biochemistry of virus-receptor interactions you’re asking about, but it also covers the molecular biology, cell biology, pathology, and epidemiology of viruses.
I’m TAing a biochemistry class, and so far we’ve covered many of your questions. It’s an introductory course though, so we only spend a little time on any given topic. We’re using Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry as a textbook, and it seems pretty decent though I haven’t compared it to other textbooks.
My own research is closer to genetics and molecular biology, though I am looking at forays into biochemistry…
that would be part of entomology.
biochemistry and molecular biology are pretty much the same thing, though with a view from coming from each field.
i think with the detail you’re asking biochemistry would give that. i found that to understand biochemistry you need some good background in both chemistry and biology. at the introductory level biochemistry will tell you about reaction chains and an overview. what you might need for real detail is physical biochemistry, which is advanced biochemistry combining biochemistry and physical chemistry, to show reaction mechanisms. you are looking at graduate school level textbooks and courses. biochemistry and physical chemistry are some really deep areas and people spend a lifetime learning little bits of it.
The best non-technical introductory text on molecular and cellular biology is David Goodsell’s The Machinery of Life. It not only provides some very clear explanations as to how enzymes and protein synthesis works, but it also has some beautiful illustrations. (My one complaint about the book is that it is so small–about the size of a trade paperback–that you can’t really get a eye-filling image of the illustrations.) Goodsell goes into both the what (molecular biology) and how (biochemistry) in sufficient depth to gain a full appreciation for both the simplicity of the mechanisms and the amazing complexity of the resulting biological systems.
Stranger
Actually, Biochemistry will continue on the basics of how the processes work, but if you want to get in the really deep “how?” you will have to get into Biophysics and Structural Biology. Most of the concepts are in the first year of graduate school so if you take biochemistry early enough in college you should be able to get to these your last year.
If you just want an introduction to some of the concepts are fairly well covered in:
Alan Fersht’s “Structure and Mechanism in Protein Science - A guide to enzyme catalysis and protein folding”