Biochemistry: Structure/Function/Regulation of Biological Molecules

Catalog description

The fundamentals of biochemistry in evaluating the forces that govern inter- and intra-molecular interactions are studied. BCHEM 521 Biochemistry: Structure/Function/Regulation of Biological Molecules (3) An overriding theme in biochemistry is that macromolecules, which are polymers of simpler molecules, interact to form structurally large and functionally complex entities that give rise to discrete structures and functions. This course focuses on intermolecular forces between the monomers of macromolecules that govern tertiary structure, as well as interactions between macromolecules that that govern higher order structures. The course begins with proteins, covering the structural basis of protein functions and then moves on to simple enzyme kinetics and mechanisms. Next, the students will discover the forces that control the three dimensional structures of nucleic acids. Subsequently, the students will explore simple and complex carbohydrates and topics in glycobiology that include energy storage, framework skeleton, and specific molecular recognition. Lipid biochemistry will be examined next, in topics that include lipid chemistry, complex lipids, membrane biology, and transport systems. Finally, the analysis of higher order structures involving the interactions between protein, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates will be discussed. The course will describe various analytical, chemical, and biochemical techniques that biochemists use to interrogate biomolecular structure and interactions.