Cell Metabolism Fundamentals

This lecture introduces the basic principles of cell metabolism, covering topics such as energy conversion, major metabolic pathways, enzymatic regulation, and tools for studying cell metabolism. The course structure includes 14 lectures divided into 4 chapters, focusing on energy metabolism, biosynthesis, systems regulation, and enzymatic details. The instructor emphasizes the importance of understanding the flow of energy-containing nutrients, catabolism, anabolism, and the second law of thermodynamics. Additionally, the lecture explores the role of ATP as the cell's energy currency, the hydrolysis of ATP, and the production of high-energy compounds. Key concepts like biological oxidation-reduction, dehydrogenation, electron carriers, and the electronegativity series are also discussed.