Introduction

to Biology
Bui Hong Thuy, Ph.D.
School of Biotechnology,
International University
Email: bhthuy@hcmiu.edu.vn

1
Education
2002 – 2005:
Ph.D. in Life Science,
Kobe University, Kobe, Japan.
2000 – 2002:
MSc. in Reproductive Biology,
Kobe University, Kobe, Japan.

1987 – 1992: Received Honor Graduate in

Doctor Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
University of Agriculture & Forestry
Hochiminh City, Vietnam.
2
Past work positions
March 2009 – July 2013:
Associated Professor
Lab of Germ cell and Regenerative Biomedicine
Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.

March 2008 – Feb. 2009:

Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Department of Animal Biotechnology
Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.

April 2005 – Feb. 2008:

Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Laboratory for Genomic Reprogramming
Center for Developmental Biology,
RIKEN-Kobe Institute, Kobe, Japan.
3
Research topics
My research is focused on :
✓ Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART),
✓ Embryology, Cell reprogramming
✓ Embryonic stem (ES) cells
✓ Epigenetic reprogramming
✓ Female germ line stem cells
✓ Regenerative biomedicine

Present work position

Nov. 2013 – Present: Lecturer, School of
Biotechnology, International University
Ho Chi Minh National University 4
 The questions of Developmental Biology ?
Fertilized egg Placenta
Trophectoderm
(TE) cells

1 Cell
(Zygote) Inner cell
Blastocyst Mass (ICM)

Fetus

6,000,000,000 cells
(230 different
cell types)

5
2000-2002: MSc in Reproductive Biotechnology
2002-2005: Ph.D in Life Science

Kobe, Japan

6
2005-2008: Center for
Developmental Biology
Kobe-Japan

7
Members of Lab for Genomic
Reprogramming
RIKEN-CDB, KOBE, JAPAN

8
2008 – 2013: Department of Animal Biotechnology,
Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea

9
Members of Lab of Germ cell and
Regenerative Biomedicine
Konkuk University, Seoul, KOREA

10
 Course overview
• Agenda:
– Theory class: Tuesday
• Assessments
– Midterm Exam: 30%
– Final Exam: 40%
10th Edition -Campbell
– Assignments: 30%. Biology-Benjamin
Cummings (2013)
✓ Oral Presentation (by group) : 10%
✓ Home work: 15%
✓ Class participation : 5%

11
 TA Information
❖ Name: Nguyễn Ngọc Thảo Vy
❖ ID: BTBTIU19178
❖ Tel: +84776627663
❖ Biotechnology Department
❖ Contact Email:
nguyenngocthaovy2906@gmail.com
❖ Face book:
➢ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100048398
331081

12
 Requirement
❖ Be ON TIME 10:35 A.M- – every Wednesday
Read over the lecture and learn the glossary
and before attending class.
❖ Ask questions and answer questions.
❖ Contact Email: bhthuy@hcmiu.edu.vn
❖ Face book:
➢ https://www.facebook.com/thuy.bui.39545

❖ Office hours (for offline)

–Monday and Tuesday Afternoons 1-4 PM
– Room No. A1.713
– Walk-In Office By Appointment
13
14
• Lecture 1: Introduction to Biology Syllabus
• Lecture 2: The Chemistry of Life (G1)
• Lecture 3: The Cell 1 (G2)
• Lecture 4: The Cell 2 (G3)
• Lecture 5: Genetics 1 (G4)
• Lecture 6: Genetics 2 (G5)
• Lecture 7: Mechanisms of Evolution (G6)
• Lecture 8: Biotechnology-Review
• Mid-term exam
• Lecture 9: The Evolutionary History of Biological Diversity 1 (G7)
• Lecture 10: Animal Form and Function 1 (G8)
• Lecture 11: Animal Form and Function 2 (G9)
• Lecture 12: Plant Form and Function (G10)
• Lecture 13: Ecology (G11)
• Lecture 14: The Evolutionary History of Biological Diversity 2
• Lecture 15: Review
• Final exam 15
The Science of Biology
Bui Hong Thuy, Ph.D.
School of Biotechnology,
International University
Email: bhthuy@hcmiu.edu.vn

16
 Outlines
⚫What is Biology?

⚫Cell: the basic unit of an organism

⚫Heritable information

⚫Internal and external interactions/regulation

⚫Unity and diversity

⚫Evolution

⚫Scientific inquiry

⚫Biology, technology and society

17
Introduction: The Scientific Study of Life
Biology: The study of life
Bio: Life
Logos: Study of
❖ Characteristics of living things
❖ Information transfer in living systems
❖ Diversity of Life / classification of
living systems
❖ Energy flow in living systems
❖ Scientific Method
18
❖ Characteristics of living things
I. Life is based on many structural levels
Levels of biological organization:
– Atoms
– Molecules
– Subcellular organelles
– Cells
– Tissues*
– Organs*
– Organ systems*
– Organism: May consist of a single cell or a
complex multicellular organism.
* Level of organization not found in all organisms
19
Levels of organization in the body
Oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen.
96% of the total body chemistry

The stomach.
(Multi cells) The digestive
system

Cells are the basic

units of life.
The whole body
20
The Chemical level: Various atoms and molecules
make up the body
Atoms:
Oxygen (O), Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Nitrogen (N)

Molecules:
Proteins, Carbohydrates, fats, nucleic acids, DNA etc…

The Cellular level: Cells are the basic units of life

Cells: cell Structure
Organisms: unicellular or multicellular
21
Levels of organization beyond organism:

• Population: Group of organisms of the same

species that interact with one another.
• Community: Several different populations living
together in same area (e.g.: lake, forest, jungle).
• Ecosystem: Interactions of community with non-
living environment (air, water, soil).
• Ecosphere: All ecosystems on planet earth.
Includes:
– Biosphere: All biological communities on earth.
– Atmosphere (air)
– Hydrosphere (water)
– Lithosphere (crust)
22
Common features of all organisms:
1. Cells: Basic structural and functional unit of life.
Genetic information contained in DNA.
2. Growth and Development:
• Growth: Occurs by an increase in cell size, cell
number, or both.
• Development: Changes that take place during
an organism’s life.
3. Energy use and metabolism:
• All organisms must take in and transform
energy to do work, to live.
• Metabolism: All chemical reactions and energy
transformations essential for growth,
maintenance, and reproduction.
23
4. Regulation
External environment may change, but internal
environment remains fairly constant.
– Homeostasis: Organisms constantly strive to maintain a
“steady state” (e.g.: constant body temperature or blood
pH) despite changes in the internal and external
environment.
– Metabolism is regulated by homeostatic mechanisms.
5. Movement:
• Internal movement: Characteristic of all life
• Locomotion: Self-propelled movement from
point A to point B. Not observed in all life
forms.
6. Respond to environmental stimuli:
Organisms respond to internal and external
changes (visual stimuli, temperature, light,
24
sound, pressure, etc.).
7. Order:
Organisms are highly organized, when
compared to nonliving environment.
8.Reproduction:
Organisms come from other organisms.
Reproduction may be sexual or
asexual.
9.Evolutionary adaptation:
Populations, not individuals, “evolve” or
change over many generations so they
can survive in a changing world.

25
 Order

Response
to the
environment
Evolutionary
adaptation

Regulation

Reproduction
Energy
processing Growth and
development
26
Some properties of life
❖ All living things are made up of cells
– The cell is the basic unit of life, both in structure
and function; it is living material bounded by a
membrane
– Cells come from and give rise to other cells
– Some organisms are unicellular; some are
multicellular
Neuron

Blood cells

Liver cell
27
 Basic Cell Functions
1. Obtain nutrients and oxygen from surrounding
environment.
2. Performing chemical reactions that nutrients and
O2 to provide energy for the cell.
Food + O2 = CO2 + H2O + Energy
3. Eliminate carbon dioxide and other wastes to
surrounding environment.
4. Synthesizing proteins and other components
needed for cell structure, growth and cell
functions.
28
 Basic Cell Functions
5. Control exchange of materials between cell
and its surrounding environment.
6. Sensing and responding to changes in
surrounding environment
7. Reproduction:
 In the case of most cells.
 Exception: Nerve cells and muscle cells lose their
ability to reproduce during their early development.

29
 Nuclear
envelope
ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM (ER)
Nucleolus NUCLEUS
Rough ER Smooth ER
Flagellum Chromatin

Centrosome
Plasma
membrane

CYTOSKELETON:
Microfilaments
Intermediate
filaments
Microtubules
Ribosomes

Microvilli

Golgi
Peroxisome apparatus
Mitochondrion
Lysosome
30
 Nuclear envelope Rough endoplasmic
reticulum
NUCLEUS Nucleolus
Chromatin
Smooth endoplasmic
reticulum
Ribosomes

Central vacuole
Golgi
apparatus
Microfilaments
Intermediate
filaments CYTO-
SKELETON
Microtubules

Mitochondrion
Peroxisome
Chloroplast
Plasma
membrane

Cell wall
Plasmodesmata
Wall of adjacent cell

31
Secretion process for proteins synthesized by ER

3
Rough ER
Secretory
2 4 vesicles
Rough ER
lumen 6
Golgi complex
5
Lysosome
7
Cytoplasm

32
 Signa Different cell types make different sets of proteins
l

NUCLEUS CYTOPLASM
Chromatin mRNA in cytoplasm

Chromatin Translation
modification Degradation
of mRNA
DNA
Gene available
for
transcription Polypeptide
Gene
Transcription
Protein processing
RNA Exon
Primary transcript
Intron
Active
RNA processing Degradation protein
Tail of protein
Transport to cellular
Cap mRNA in destination
nucleus
Transport to
cytoplasm Cellular
CYTOPLAS function
M
33
 Cell differentiation
Placenta
Trophectoderm
(TE) cells

Inner cell
Fertilized 8-cell Mass (ICM)
egg embryo Blastocyst
Fetus

Bone
marrow
Pluripotent embryo
stem cells
Pancreatic (ES cells) Nerve
islet cells cells

Heart
muscle
Blood
34
The DNAs of all differentiated cells are identical 34
 Cell differentiation

Can divide
Can divide

Differentiation

Can divide

Pluripotent
Differentiation

stem cell Multipotent Differentiated cells

stem cells
(Embryonic (muscle, nerve, skin,
stem cell) (Adult stem cell) fibroblast, etc)
35
 The Science of Biology

❖ Characteristics of living things

❖ Information transfer in living
systems
❖ Diversity of Life / classification of
living systems
❖ Energy flow in living systems
❖ Scientific Method
36
 Information transfer in
living systems
➢ Information must be transferred from one cell
generation to the next
➢ In multicellular organisms, information must also
be transferred from one generation to the next

37
➢Organisms pass on their DNA to the next
generation
➢Characteristics of each generation depend
upon DNA

Sperm cell

Nuclei
containing
DNA

Fertilized egg Embryo’s cells with

with DNA from copies of inherited DNA
Egg cell both parents Offspring with traits
inherited from
both parents
38
 Organisms Contain an
Information System
➢Cells have an information
system made up of nucleic
acids – specifically: DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid)
⚫ The information is encoded in
regions of DNA called genes, the
units of heredity
⚫ Genes are instructions that use a
special, unique code
⚫ Instructions are generally for the
production of specific proteins
⚫ The nucleic acid code is virtually
identical in all species
39
Chromatin Structure and DNA Packing

4040
 Histone Modifications
❖ The histone code hypothesis proposes that specific
combinations of modifications help determine
chromatin configuration and influence transcription

NH3+

-K9 Ac Me
Nucleosome P S10-
DNA
-K14 Ac

-K18 Ac

H2B H2A
-K27 Me
H4 H3 P S28-
DNA
H3
Octameric
histone core
41
 Epigenetic Inheritance
➢ Although the chromatin modifications just discussed
do not alter DNA sequence, they may be passed to
future generations of cells
➢ The inheritance of traits transmitted by mechanisms
not directly involving the nucleotide sequence is called
Epigenetic Inheritance

In biology, the term Epigenetics refers to changes

in phenotype (appearance) or gene expression
caused by mechanisms other than changes in the
underlying DNA sequence, hence the name
epi- (Greek: over; above) -genetics.

42
 Regulation of
Chromatin Histone

Structure
tails

Amino
acids
available
➢ Histone acetylation, DNA for chemical
modification
double helix
acetyl groups are
attached to positively
charged lysines in (a) Histone tails protrude outward from a
histone tails nucleosome
➢ This process loosens
chromatin structure,
thereby promoting the
initiation of
transcription
Unacetylated histones Acetylated histones

(b) Acetylation of histone tails promotes loose

chromatin structure that permits transcription
43
 Application
Genetic Testing and Counseling
➢ Genetic counselors can provide information
to prospective parents concerned about a
family history for a specific disease
➢ Using family histories, genetic counselors
help couples determine the odds that their
children will have genetic disorders
➢ For a growing number of diseases, tests are
available that identify carriers and help define
the odds more accurately
Newborn Screening: Some genetic disorders
can be detected at birth by simple tests
44
 PREIMPLANTATION
GENETIC DIAGNOSIS (PGD)
In Vitro fertilization

Pronuclei
Zygote (1-cell embryo) 2-cell embryos 4-cell embryos

Normal Trysomy 21
8-cell embryos chromosome 21 45
Tissues for Preimplantation Biopsy
Egg Cleavage stage Blastocyst

Polar Body Blastomere Trophectoderm

46
 Fetal Testing
Amniotic fluid
withdrawn

Fetus Centrifugation
Fetus
Suction tube
inserted
Placenta Placenta Chorionic through
Uterus Cervix villi cervix
Fluid
Bio-
Fetal Several chemical
cells hours tests Fetal
Several
cells
hours
Several
weeks

Several Several
weeks Karyotyping hours

(a) Amniocentesis (b) Chorionic villus sampling (CVS)

47
 The Science of Biology

❖ Characteristics of living things

❖ Information transfer in living
systems
❖ Diversity of Life / classification of
living systems
❖ Energy flow in living systems
❖ Scientific Method
48
 Darwin’s theory: evolution occurs
by natural selection
➢ Survival of the Fittest: Individuals with
certain heritable adaptive characteristics
survive and reproduce at a higher rate than
other individuals.
➢ Natural selection increases the adaptation
of organisms to their environment over time.
➢ Speciation: If an environment changes over
time, natural selection may result in adaptation
to these new conditions and may give rise to
new species.

49
 Species Genus Family Order Class Phylum Kingdom Domain

Ursus americanus
(American black bear)

Ursus

Ursidae

Carnivora

Mammalia

Chordata

• Diversity of Life / Animalia

classification of
Eukarya
living systems 50
(a) DOMAIN BACTERIA The Three Domains of Life

(b) DOMAIN ARCHAEA

(c) DOMAIN EUKARYA

Kingdom Plantae

Protists
Kingdom Animalia

Kingdom Fungi 51
Domain
Eukarya

Domain bacteria Domain Archaea

52
 Reproductive Isolation =
Barriers to Interbreeding
➢ Reproductive isolation = means of preventing
gene flow between two species
– for a new species to evolve from an existing
(sexually reproducing) species, there must be a
reproductive isolating mechanism in place

➢ Reproductive isolating mechanisms can be

classified as either prezygotic or postzygotic
– prezygotic barriers – prevent fertilization (zygote
formation) between gametes from two species
– postzygotic barriers – reproductive isolation after
fertilization has occurred
53
 Reproductive Barriers
Between Species
Prezygotic Barriers Postzygotic Barriers
Habitat Temporal Behavioral Mechanical Gametic Reduced Reduced Hybrid Hybrid
Isolation Isolation
Isolation Isolation Isolation Hybrid Viability Fertility Breakdown
Individuals Viable,
Mating Fertilization
of attempt fertile
different offspring
species
(a) (c) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (l)

(d) (j)

(b)

(k)

54
 The Science of Biology

❖ Characteristics of living things

❖ Information transfer in living
systems
❖ Diversity of Life / classification of
living systems
❖ Energy flow in living systems
❖ Scientific Method
55
Living cells require energy from outside
sources Light
energy

ECOSYSTEM Photosynthesis
in chloroplasts
How do these leaves power the
work of life for the giant panda?
CO2 + H2O Organic + O
molecules 2

Cellular respiration
in mitochondria
ATP

ATP powers most cellular work

Energy flow and chemical recycling Heat

energy
in ecosystems
56
 Life Depends on a Continuous
Input of Energy
Sunlight
Ecosystem
• All life depends upon
energy
• Original source mostly Producers
(plants and other
the sun Cycling
photosynthetic
organisms) Heat
• Energy flows through of
chemical
cells, organisms nutrients
Chemical
• Energy flows through energy
ecosystems (the concept
of a food chain or food
Consumers
web) (such as
animals) Heat

57
 Energy is used:
❖To maintain existing cellular structures and
components (replacement of damaged or worn
out materials within the cell)
❖To produce materials to support growth,
development, and reproduction
❖To support:
– Movement, either of cell itself or of materials into
and out of the cell
– Signaling responses, such as hormone production
and perception, nerve impulses, etc.
– Other forms of cell work, such as symbiotic
relationships with other organisms, defense against
pathogens
58
⚫Producers (autotrophs) manufacture their
own food from simple materials
• usually produce food by the process of
photosynthesis:

Carbon dioxide + Water + light energy

───> Carbohydrate (food) + Oxygen

59
⚫Energy is released from food mostly by
oxidative respiration

Carbohydrate (food) + Oxygen ───> Carbon

dioxide + Water + energy

⚫overall, producers use carbon dioxide and

water and release food and oxygen

60
Cellular Respiration

61
Fermentation and Aerobic
Respiration Compared
Glucose

CYTOSOL Glycolysis

Pyruvate
No O2 present: O2 present:
Fermentation Aerobic cellular
respiration

MITOCHONDRION
Ethanol Acetyl CoA
or
lactate
Citric
acid
cycle

62
 The Science of Biology

❖ Characteristics of living things

❖ Information transfer in living
systems
❖ Diversity of Life / classification of
living systems
❖ Energy flow in living systems
❖ Scientific Method
63
SCIENCE AS A METHOD OF INVESTIGATION
Scientia (Latin): To know
Science is a systematic way of thinking, answering
questions, and solving problems.
Steps of scientific method:
1. Observations
2. Question
3. Hypothesis
4. Predictions
5. Test predictions (Experiments)
Results of experiments may:
– Support (but not prove) hypothesis
– Disprove hypothesis -----> Change hypothesis.

64
 SCIENCE AS A METHOD OF
Observation
INVESTIGATION
Questio
n
Hypothesis 1
Hypothesis 2 Reject
Hypothesis 3 Experiment hypotheses
Hypothesis 4 1 and 4
Hypothesis 5
Potential
hypotheses

65
 SCIENCE AS A METHOD OF
Observation
INVESTIGATION
Questio
n
Hypothesis 1
Hypothesis 2 Reject
Hypothesis 3 Experiment hypotheses
Hypothesis 4 1 and 4
Hypothesis 5
Potential
hypotheses
Hypothesis 5 Reject
Hypothesis 3 Experiment hypotheses
Hypothesis 2 2 and 3
Remaining
possible
hypotheses

66
 SCIENCE AS A METHOD OF
Observation
INVESTIGATION
Questio
n
Hypothesis 1
Hypothesis 2 Reject
Hypothesis 3 Experiment hypotheses
Hypothesis 4 1 and 4
Hypothesis 5
Potential
hypotheses
Hypothesis 5 Reject
Hypothesis 3 Experiment hypotheses
Hypothesis 2 2 and 3
Remaining
possible Last remaining
Hypothesis 5
hypotheses possible hypothesis

Predictions

Experiment 1 Experiment 2 Experiment 3 Experiment 4

Predictions
confirmed 67
 The Scientific Method
➢Summarize existing observations (and
make new ones)
➢Formulate a hypothesis, a model that:
– Explains existing observations
– Makes testable predictions
– Can never be proven true, only supported or
disproved
➢Test the hypothesis (experiment)

68
 The Scientific Method
➢ Learning biology is not just learning a set of
facts and concepts; you need to organize that
information
➢ Watch for the recurrence of certain themes that
come up repeatedly in biology (major examples
on next slides)
➢ In addition, an awareness of the process of
scientific inquiry and the application of science
(technology) are important aspects of any study
of biology

69
 Levels of Biological Organization
The biosphere

Cells
Organs and 10 µm
organ systems Cell
Ecosystems
Organelles
Communities
1 µm
Atoms
Tissues 50 µm
Populations Molecules
Organisms

70
71
72
 Themes
➢ The cell
➢ Information management
• heritable information
• regulation
• interaction with the environment
➢ Energy management
➢ Structure and function
➢ Unity and diversity
➢ Emergent properties
➢ Evolution – the core unifying theme that
explains much of the observations connected
with the other themes
73
Critical Thinking
in Biology
Bui Hong Thuy, Ph.D.
School of Biotechnology,
International University
Email: bhthuy@hcmiu.edu.vn

74
 Critical Thinking is a Skill That
Carries You To Success
Four Aspects of Critical Thinking
➢1. Abstract thinking: Thinking past what your
senses tell you.
➢2. Creative thinking: Thinking “out of the box”
Innovating.
➢3. Systematic thinking: Organizing your
thoughts into logical steps.
➢4. Communicative thinking: Being precise in
giving your ideas to others.

75
 CRITICAL THINKING:
What is Involved?
➢ Question: What is being asked?
➢ Purpose: Why do I want the answer?
➢ Point of view: Where do I stand to look at
the question?
➢ Information: What data to I have?
➢ Concepts: What ideas are involved?
➢ Inferences: What conclusion am I
drawing?
➢ Consequences: What are the implications
of my question? 76
After listening to a presentation,
which are the four criteria to
check the information?
➢ Clarity: Is the information clear?
➢ Accuracy: Are the data accurate?
➢ Relevancy: Is the information relevant
to my studies or works?
➢ Depth: Is the problem important?

77
After listening to a presentation,
how to summarize
what you just heard?
➢ What was the most Important Point?
➢ What was the most Puzzling or
Confusing Point?
➢ What are the New information or New
ideas?
➢ What are the most Challenging
Points?
78
Powerful Questions to Ask
(How to ask questions
without offending the teacher
or your friend)

79
The questions to ask when you
like to have more evidence
➢ Where is the source of your argument
➢ What are the author’s opinion which
support your argument ?
➢ Where did you find the author’s view of
point in the text?
➢ What additional evidence would you give if
someone has a doubt about your given
source?
80
The questions to ask when you
like to have more clarification

➢ Can you restate the word clearly?

➢ What’s a good example of what you are
talking about?
➢ What do you mean by that?
➢ Can you define the word that you just
used?
➢ Can you give a different illustration of your
point?
81
 The question you ask when you
like to correlate the problem with
another
➢ Is there any connection between what you just
said and the thing you said before?
➢ How does your observation relate to what the
group decided last week?
➢ Does your idea oppose or support what we are
saying?
➢ How does that contribution add to what has
already been said?
82
 Summary and
Synthesis Questions
➢ What are one or two particularly important
ideas that come from this discussion?
➢ What remains unresolved or debatable about
this topic?
➢ What do you understand better as a result of
today’s discussion?
➢ Based on our discussion today, what are the
topics for further discussion if we’re to
understand this issue more?
83
Questions To Encourage Ideas
➢ 1. What if…?
➢ 2. How can we improve…?
➢ 3. How will the Optimist Member and/or
the community benefit?
➢ 4. Are we forgetting anything?
➢ 5. What’s the next step?
➢ 6. What can we do better…?
➢ 7. What do you think about…?
➢ 8. What should we add?
➢ 9. What should we eliminate?
➢ 10.What other ideas do you have...?
84
An Excellent Thinker is

➢ Thinking of and listing many ideas

(Fluency)
➢ Thinking from different perspectives
(Flexibility)
➢ Coming up with unique ideas
(Originality)
➢ Building upon an existing ideas, adding
details (Elaboration)
85