Learning objectives
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
Main objective of the course is to give to the students a wider knowledge of biochemical reactions and processes than that obtained by the basic courses.Particular emphasis is given to investigate the chemical bases of enzyme catalisys.
ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
Acquired knowledge will be applied by the students to describe the role of the active site residues in determining specificity, selectivity and reversibility of the reactions. It will also be applied to detect the causes of electron shifts that lead to brake bonds and form new ones.
AUTONOMY IN EVALUATION
The knowledge of recent advances in chemico-physical understanding of biochemical reactions will lead the students to an autonomous critical approach to previously acquired semplified interpretation
ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE
Students will be occasionally stimulated to discuss among them possible reaction mechanism prior to the frontal lecture.
ABILITY IN LEARNING
At the end of the course students will have grown in their ability to get informations, interpretation and evaluation of biological processes not previously considered in the course of study.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of general Biochemistry, Chemystry, Organic and Inorganic Chemistry,
Course unit content
Metabolic pathways of interest to biologist not available in common biochemistry textbooks
Full programme
Glucose metabolism through the Entner Doudurof pathway.
Phosphoketolasic pathway for degradation of exoses and penthoses.
Sugar fermentation to short chain acids and relative utilisation.
Modified Krebs cycle in Plasmodium falciparum and reactions analogous to Krebs cycle in the biosynthesis of branched chain aminoacids.
Biosynthesis of methane from carbon dioxide or acetyl-CoA and role of the partecipating coenzymes (F420, F430, THMP, CoM, CoB, MF) and metal ions (Fe, Co, Ni).
Biosynthesis of ethylene and Yang cycle for recovery of methionin.
Degradation of primary, secondary and tertiary amines, D-aminoacids, diamines and role of various type of Cu(II) ions.
Coenzyme formed by modification of aminoacids side chain, and relative function.
Marcus theory for electron transfer kinetics in proteins and multiprotein complexes.
Shikimate pathway to produce aromatic aminoacids and hydroxilated aromatic compunds.
Structure, function and proposed mechanism of the enzyme Nitrogenase.
Oxygen reactivity in biological processes: oxidases, oxygenases, dioxygenase and hydroxylation reactions of aromatic and alifatic compounds.
Synthesis of nitrogen oxyde (NO).
Complete biosynthesis of cholesterol, cyclization of squalene epoxide to cicloarthenol and vegetal sterols.
Bibliography
Text of the lectures are made available on-line to enrolled students
Teaching methods
Frontal lecture with detaliled presentation on the blackboard od each step of reaction, and group discussion
Assessment methods and criteria
Learning is evaluated on the ability to describe the reaction of a process through each step, identifying those that determine the direction synthetic or degtdative of the process.
Other information
