Teaching Molecular Biology

Molecular Biology is comparatively recent studied branch of Life Sciences & evolving with new discoveries being added continuously. Teaching this subject to under-graduates has been one of my pet topics as a college lecturer.
DNA _transcription RNA translation Protein is the basis of this study.
We begin our life as a single cell, the zygote formed by the fusion of a sperm from father with the egg in mother’s womb. This fertilized cell has a complete blueprint of the future of development.
DNA or Deoxyribose nucleic acid is the hereditary material, which along with proteins forms the basis of life at molecular level.
Although DNA is double-stranded helical molecule, it unwinds during replication & one of its strands is used as a transcript.
Three different types of RNAs, Ribosenucleic acids help in the process of translating this transcript into a Protein.

Protein synthesis can be visualized as an assembly line in a factory. The ribosomes hold mRNA carrying the patent or the codon, called the Genetic code await the arrival of amino acids. tRNA molecules, each carrying a single amino-acid come one at a time & align themselves on the moving strand of mRNA (anticodon with codon).
The linked amino acids with peptide bonds form the primary structure of protein, which then converts into the secondary, tertiary & quaternary specialized protein.
Human physiology involves enzymatic reactions & all enzymes are proteins.
Protein synthesis has to be regulated & this is done both at genetic level & enzymatic level (feed-back inhibition).
We all know, when we eat food it is mixed with enzymes for digestion. Let us imagine the action of 1 enzyme: the first step would be to stimulate the initiation of synthesis & then the termination at the appropriate time. Imagine the chaos in our body if the exact required quantity could not be controlled.
Thus Protein synthesis is the basis of life at molecular level.
The trick I used on my students lately was to suggest, they read. ” Chromosome 6” by Robin Cook & get them hooked on molecular biology.