Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

The discoverers of the structure of DNA, James Watson (1928- ) at left and Francis Crick (1916-2004), were photographed with their model of part of a DNA molecule, in the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK, in May 1953.

Notes

James Watson[,dʒeimz 'wɔtsn] 

        詹姆斯·沃森(1928–), 美国分子生物学家和遗传学家。Francis Crick [,frα:nsis 'krik] 弗朗西斯·克里克(1916–2004), 英国分子生物学家、生物物理学家及神经科学家。二人因共同发现DNA的双螺旋结构，而与Maurice Wilkins（莫里斯·威尔金斯）一起获得1962年的诺贝尔生理学或医学奖。

Cavendish ['kævəndiʃ] Laboratory

        卡文迪许实验室，剑桥大学物理实验室。建于187l–1874年间，为当时的剑桥大学校长William Cavendish私人捐款兴建。他是十八至十九世纪对物理学和化学有巨大贡献的科学家Henry Cavendish的近亲。为纪念Henry Cavendish，该实验室以其名命名。

Read the short passage in “Lead-In” within 2 minutes and answer the following questions. 

Biochemistry involves the study of the chemical processes that occur in living organisms with the ultimate aim of understanding the nature of life in molecular terms. Biochemical studies rely on the availability of appropriate analytical techniques and on the application of these techniques to the advancement of knowledge of the nature of, and relationships between, biological molecules , especially proteins and nucleic acids, and cellular function. The discipline of molecular biology overlaps with that of biochemistry and in many respects the aims of the two disciplines complement each other. Molecular biology is focused on the molecular understanding of the processes of replication, transcription and translation of genetic material whereas biochemistry exploits the techniques and findings of molecular biology to advance our understanding of such cellular processes as cell signaling and apoptosis.

Notes

analytical[,ænə'litik(ə)l] technique 分析技术 

molecular[mə'lekjulə] 

    adj. referring to a molecule 分子的 

molecule['mɔlikju:l]

    n. [C] a group of atoms bonded together, representing the smallest fundamental unit of a chemical compound that can take part in a chemical reaction 分子 

protein['prəuti:n]

    n. [C, U] any of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds having large compact or fibrous molecules composed of one or more chains of amino acids and forming an essential part of all living organisms 蛋白质 

nucleic acid[nju:,kli:ik 'æsid]

    n. [C, U] a complex organic substance present in living cells, especially DNA or RNA, whose molecules consist of many nucleotides linked in a long chain 核酸 

cellular['seljulə]

    adj. referring to cells 细胞的 

discipline['disəplin]

    n. [C] a subject that people study or are taught, especially in a university （尤指大学的）学科 

replication[,repli'keiʃ(ə)n]

    n. [C, U] the process by which genetic material or a living organism gives rise to a copy of itself （遗传物质或生物）复制 

replicate['replikeit]

     vt. to make an exact copy of 复制 

replicative['replikətiv]

     adj. relating to or involving the replication of genetic material or living organisms 复制的 

transcription[træn'skripʃ(ə)n]

    n. [C, U] the process by which genetic information represented by a sequence of DNA is copied into newly synthesized molecules of RNA, with the DNA serving as a template 转录 

transcribe[træn'skraib]

    vt. to synthesize (a nucleic acid, typically RNA) using an existing nucleic acid, typically DNA, as a template, so that the genetic information in the latter is copied 转录 

transcriptase[træn'skripteiz]

    n. [C] an enzyme which catalyzes the formation of RNA from a DNA template during transcription 转录酶 

translation[træns'leɪʃ(ə)n]

    n. [C, U] the process by which a sequence of nucleotide triplets in a messenger RNA molecule gives rise to a specific sequence of amino acids during synthesis of a polypeptide or protein 翻译 

genetic[dʒə'netik]

    adj. referring to genes or genetics 基因的；遗传学的 

cell signaling['siɡnəliŋ]

    细胞信号转导 

apoptosis[ə'pɔptəsis]

    n. [C, U] the death of cells which occurs as a normal and controlled part of an organism's growth or development （细胞）凋亡