| CODE | CHE1510 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Fundamentals and Applications of Biological Chemistry 2 | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Chemistry | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | 1. Nucleosides, Nucleotides and Nucleic acids 1.1 Nucleoside and nucleotide structure: purine and pyrimidine bases, the phosphodiester and N-glycosidic bonds. 1.2 DNA and RNA structure: deoxyribonucleotides, the DNA double helix, the role of hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions in complementary base pairing and the higher structure of nucleic acids 1.3 Nucleotide and nucleic acid biosynthesis 1.4 Nucleic acid sequencing: the dideoxynucleotide and Maxam/Gilbert methods 2. Amino acids and proteins 2.1 Structure of amino acids and proteins: different classes of amino acid side groups, 1°, 2°, 3° and 4° structure. 2.2 Amino acid and protein biosynthesis, catabolism and turnover 2.3 The role of covalent bonding and noncovalent interactions in protein structure; the amide bond; electrostatic forces, hydrogen bonding, Van der Waals forces, hydrophobic forces 2.4 Proteins and pH: point of zero charge, side group effects, effect of pH on protein charge and solubility, applications in electrophoresis and IEF 2.5 Proteins in solution: the Florey-Huggins theory, thermodynamics of the hydrophobic effect 2.6 Protein stability: Chemical stability (deamidation, racemisation, proteolysis, oxidation, beta-elimination, disulfide exchange), physical stability (denaturation, aggregation, precipitation, adsorption) 2.7 Case study of proteins I - Enzymes: 2.7.1 Thermodynamics and kinetics of enzyme reactions: the Michaelis-Menton equation, Lineweaver Burke, Dixon and Eadie-Hofstee plots; kinetics of competitive and noncompetitive inhibition 2.7.2 Regulatory strategies in enzymes: allosterism, cooperativity, and hysteresis 2.7.3 Mechanisms of enzyme reactions: ordered vs random, sequential vs ping-pong 2.8 Case study of proteins II – Monoclonal antibodies 2.8.1 Gross and fine structure of antibody molecules; heavy chains and light chains, constant and variable regions, hypervariable regions 2.8.2 Chemistry of antigen-antibody binding: affinity vs avidity, calculation of Ka by Scatchard analysis and nonlinear regression; the immunological importance of Ka 2.8.3 Monoclonal antibodies and liposome targeting: coupling reactions of liposomes with antibodies, carboxy/amino, hydroxyl/amino, amino/amino, esterification, anhydride formation, sulfhydryl reactions Reading List - MANN et al. (1994) Natural Products: Their Chemistry and Biological Significance. Pearson Education Ltd. Essex. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | |||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Claude A. Farrugia |
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The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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