Structure and function of biological molecules, especially proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. Important concepts include bioenergetics, biological catalysis, and metabolic pathways as interacting regulated systems.
Prerequisites: BIOCHEM 275 or 285 with a grade of B- or better, CHEM 261 or 265 with a grade of C- or better, and CHEM 262 or 266 with a C- or better.
Advanced treatment of selected topics in biochemistry, with readings taken from the current literature. Emphasis on experimental approaches and problem solving. Topics include protein structure-function, protein folding and modification, enzyme kinetics, and the study of metabolic processes (pathways and their regulation) with a molecular genetic approach. Students enrolled in this course are expected to have taken at least a one-semester course in upper division biochemistry and BIOCHEM 642.
Structure, biosynthesis, and function of nucleic acids and the translational apparatus. DNA replication; gene organization; chromatin structure; RNA transcription, regulation of gene expression; protein biosynthesis; mRNA, tRNA, and ribosomes. For PhD students only.
This course will survey the current picture in pharmaceutical research, including how targets are selected, how the rational and combinatorial methods are harnessed, as well as how the industry is evolving in the post-genomic era. The instructors will provide background and introduce various topics, which will be discussed by a series of invited lecturers who are active in drug design and discovery. Prerequisites: One BIOCHEM class and one year of Organic Chemistry required.
