Page 5 - Color Atlas of Biochemistry

P. 5

Preface

Biochemistry is a dynamic, rapidly growing elements had to be found that make compli-
field, and the goal of this color atlas is to cated phenomena appear tangible. The
illustrate this fact visually. The precise boun- graphics were designed conservatively, the
daries between biochemistry and related aim being to avoid illustrations that might
fields,suchas cellbiology,anatomy,physiol- look too spectacular or exaggerated. Our
ogy, genetics, and pharmacology, are dif cult goal was to achieve a visual and aesthetic
to define and, in many cases, arbitrary. This way of representing scientific facts that would
overlap is not coincidental. The object being be simple and at the same time effective for
studied is often the same—a nerve cell or a teaching purposes. Use of graphics software
mitochondrion, for example—and only the helped to maintain consistency in the use of
point of view differs. shapes,colors, dimensions,and labels,inpar-
For a considerable period of its history, bio- ticular. Formulae and other repetitive ele-
chemistry was strongly influenced by chem- ments and structures could be handled easily
istry and concentrated on investigating met- and precisely with the assistance of the com-
abolic conversions and energy transfers. Ex- puter.
plaining the composition, structure, and me- Color-coding has been used throughout to aid
tabolism of biologically important molecules the reader, and the key to this is given in two
has always been in the foreground. However, special color plates on the front and rear in-
new aspects inherited from biochemistry’s side covers. For example, in molecular models
other parent, the biological sciences, are each of the more important atoms has a par-
now increasingly being added: the relation- ticular color: gray for carbon, white for hydro-
ship between chemical structure and biolog- gen, blue for nitrogen, red for oxygen, and so
ical function, the pathways of information on. The different classes of biomolecules are
transfer, observance of the ways in which also distinguished by color: proteins are al-
biomolecules are spatially and temporally dis- ways shown in brown tones, carbohydrates in
tributed in cells and organisms, and an aware- violet, lipids in yellow, DNA in blue, and RNA
ness of evolution as a biochemical process. in green. In addition, specific symbols are
These new aspects of biochemistry are bound used for the important coenzymes, such as
+
to become more and more important. ATP and NAD . The compartments in which
Owing to space limitations, we have concen- biochemical processes take place are color-
trated here on the biochemistry of humans coded as well. For example, the cytoplasm is
and mammals, although the biochemistry of shown in yellow, while the extracellular space
other animals, plants, and microorganisms is is shaded in blue. Arrows indicating a chem-
no less interesting. In selecting the material ical reaction are always black and those rep-
forthisbook,wehaveput the emphasis on resenting a transport process are gray.
subjects relevant to students of human med- In terms of the visual clarity of its presenta-
icine. The main purpose of the atlas is to serve tion, biochemistry has still to catch up with
as an overview and to provide visual informa- anatomy and physiology. In this book, we
tion quickly and ef ciently. Referring to text- sometimes use simplified ball-and-stick mod-
books can easily fill any gaps. For readers els instead of the classical chemical formulae.
encountering biochemistry for the first time, In addition, a number of compounds are rep-
some of the plates may look rather complex. It resented by space-filling models. In these
must be emphasized,therefore,that the atlas cases, we have tried to be as realistic as pos-
is not intended as a substitute for a compre- sible. The models of small molecules are
hensive textbook of biochemistry. based on conformations calculated by com-
As the subject matter is often dif cult to vis- puter-based molecular modeling. In illustrat-
ualize, symbols, models, and other graphic ing macromolecules, we used structural infor-

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