What is Molecular Biology?

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Molecular biology is to characterize the structure, function and relationships between two types of macromolecules, DNA and proteins. This relatively limited definition will suffice to allow us to establish a date for the so-called "molecular revolution", or at least to establish a chronology of its most fundamental developments (Walker, 2009) .At the heart of this definition is the idea of the gene, this concept dates back to the decade of the 1860's. It is the quest for understanding what a gene is that gave birth to the discipline of molecular biology; biologists paid no attention to the notion of the "gene" until the beginning of the 20th century.

The period of time between 1930 and late 1950 marks the beginning of molecular biology inventions, molecular biology overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry but it is a joining aspects between genetics and biochemistry (Walker, 2009). Molecular biologists have learned to characterize, isolate, and manipulate the molecular components of cells and organisms, these includes: DNA which is the storage of genetic information, RNA and Proteins being the major structural and enzymatic type of molecule in cells.

The two categories of macromolecules that the molecular biologists focus on are: nucleic acids among which most famous of nucleic acids DNA (deoxyribonucleic acids) which is the constituent of genes and proteins that are the active agents of living organism (Walker, 2009).

One definition of the scope of molecular biology therefore is to characterize the structure, function and relationships between these two types of macromolecules. This relatively limited definition w...

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...tion of macro-throwing power capability.

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Burgess, R. &. (2009). Guide to protein purification. Amsterdam Boston: Elsevier/Academic Press.

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Tropp, B. E. (2012). genes to proteins. Sudbury, Mass: Jones & Bartlett Learning Print.

Walker, J. &. (2009). Molecular biology and biotechnology. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry.

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Wittmann, C. K. (2010). Biosystems engineering I creating superior biocatalysts. Berlin New York: Springe.