Molecular Biophysics - 1 1101-515
The main aim is to present exhaustively the basis of molecular biophysics for the students learning biophysics at the Faculty of Physics. Attending the lecture should made them possible to carry out laboratory exercises (Biophysical Laboratory) and to study more specialized problems (Molecular biophysics - 2). So called "hot" subjects of modern biophysics are presented in detail.
1. Structure, specification, and biological role of nucleic acids and proteins.
2. Basic physical methods in learning biomolecular structures and dynamics: electrophoresis and mass spectrometry in sequencing, ultracentrifugation, molecular spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray crystallography, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, atomic force microscopy (AFM).
3. DNA and RNA: structure, conformation, and tautomerism of nucleotides, self-complementary base pairing, helical and non-helical secondary structures, formation, decomposition, "breathing", and dynamics of double helices, tertiary structures (DNA cruciform, DNA supercoiling, tRNA, RNA pseudoknot, A-minor motif), chromatin.
4. Globular, fibrous, and membrane proteins: structure and properties of amino acids, the peptide bond, secondary-, tertiary-, and quaternary structures, Ramachandran plot, tertiary folds, domains, subunits.
5. Protein dynamics and protein folding in vitro and in vivo, structure prediction, amyloids, RNA folding.
6. Specific interactions involving proteins and nucleic acids: specific recognition and interactions of biomolecules, protein and RNA enzymes, intercalation of DNA helices, aptamers, protein - nucleic acid interactions.
Remarks
Presentation on transparencies available for the participants as xerox copies.
Student's effort:
Lecture = 60 h
Self-studying (2 h per week), ca. 30 h
Preparations to pass the examination: ca. 30 h
Total, ca. 120 h
Description by Ryszard Stolarski, May 2011
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Learning outcomes
After completion of the course a student:
KNOWLEDGE
1. Knows main contemporary problems of modern molecular biophysics.
2. Knows basic experimental methods of molecular biophysics.
3. Knows basic relations between molecular biophysics and other branches of science.
SKILLS
1. Knows how to explain basic phenomena and notions in molecular biophysics.
2. Knows how to resolve basic biophysical problems.
3. Knows how to relate biophysical problems to general problems in science.
BASIS
1. Recognizes worth and solidity of the results derived by means of biophysical methods.
2. Estimates the role of biophysics in science.
3. Recognizes the ethics in scientific work.
Assessment criteria
Examination: answers to 3 - 6 questions of a general character.
Practical placement
No
Bibliography
1. W. Saenger "Principles of Nucleic Acid Structures"
2. T.E. Creighton "Proteins. Structures and Molecular Properties"
3. B. Alberts et al. "Molecular biology of the cell"
4. L. Stryer "Biochemia"
5. K. Pigoń i Z. Ruziewicz "Chemia fizyczna"
6. J.N.S. Evans "Biomolecular NMR spectroscopy"
7. E. de Hoffman, J. Charette, V. Stroobant "Spektrometria mas"
8. J. Drenth "Principles of Protein X-ray Crystallography"
9. "Elementy enzymologii" - praca zbiorowa pod red. J. Witwickiego, PWN.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: