Entry requirements

Biochemistry, 15 credits or equivalent.

Learning outcomes

After haveving completed the course, the students are expected to be able to :

• Describe different strategies for the production and isolation of proteins
• Experimentally determine the physico-chemical and functional properties of proteins
• Analyse and interpret protein sequences and structures and use such information to predict protein function
• Describe how the properties of proteins and studies of proteins can be used for production of drugs, for biotechnology and for other industrial and scientific purposes
• Write a report in the form of a scientific article.

Content

- Protein synthesis: Biological and recombinant protein synthesis. Peptide synthesis. Post-translational modifications. .

- Protein chemistry: inclusive peptide sequencing and chemical modification of proteins.

- Biological protein degradation.

- Protein informatics: Databases for protein sequences, structure and function. Methods for protein informatics.

- Protein structure: Protein folding. Determination of the three-dimensional structure of proteins: X-ray crystallography , NMR spectroscopy, microscopy. Protein structure modelling and analysis using molecular graphics . . Protein structure-function relationships. .

- Functional genomics and proteomics: Directed evolution of proteins

- Protein interactions: Protein ligand, protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions. Kinetic and thermodynamic characterisation of interactions, methods and interpretations.

- Examples of protein function and applications:

a. Enzymes.

b. Membrane proteins, receptors

c. Protein-protein interactions, signal transduction

d. Multiprotein complexes, viruses.

- Individual lab project: The results of an experimental project is to be presented in the form of a scientific publication.

Instruction

The course is given in form of lectures as well as experimental and theoretical exercises and projects.

Exercises and projects are compulsory and carried out individually or in groups.

Assessment

Experimental and theoretical exercises and projects (5 credits) are examined during the course. One of the reports should have a method section in English that meets the requirements set for publication in international journals in biochemistry. An overall examination (5 credits) is given at the end of the course. The final grade for the course is given as a weighted average grade for all assessed parts.