Fundamentals of Molecular Biology

Molecular Biology is the field of biology that studies the composition, structure and interactions of cellular molecules such as nucleic acids and proteins that carry out the biological processes essential for the cells functions and maintenance. A key area of molecular biology concerns understanding how various cellular systems interact in terms of the way DNA, RNA and protein synthesis function. The specific techniques used in molecular biology are native to the field but may also be combined with methods and concepts concerning genetics and biochemistry, so there is no big distinction made between these disciplines. The field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Molecular biology chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various systems of a cell, including the interrelationship of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis and learning how these interactions are regulated. Molecular biology is the study of molecular underpinnings of the process of replication, transcription and translation of the genetic material. The central dogma of molecular biology where genetic material is transcribed into RNA and then translated into protein, despite being an oversimplified picture of molecular biology, still provides a good starting point for understanding the field. Much of the work in molecular biology is quantitative, and recently much work has been done at the interface of molecular biology and computer science in bioinformatics and computational biology. The role, function and structure of biomolecules are key areas of focus among biochemists, as is the chemistry behind biological functions and the production of biomolecules. Genetics is concerned with the effects of genes on living organisms, which are often examined through “knock-out” studies, where animal models are designed so that they lack one or more genes compared to a “wild type” or regular phenotype. However, this simplified picture is currently be reconsidered and revised due to new discoveries concerning the roles of RNA.