Biochenistry of Proteins, Nucleic Acids and Lipids

Recommended Prerequisites

 Organic Chemistry and General Chemistry. Students should have knowledge in: inglish (reading) and mathematics 

Teaching Methods

Will be continously adapted  to the existing physical structures.Teaching will have a theoric component where students will acquired the ability to apply the acquired knowledge to problems either through questions raised by the teacher/themselves.The theoric-pratic lectures, the lower number of students per  class will offer conditions to implement strategies of continous questions solving posed by competing groups of students.As each student will be obliged to pose questions to their fellows on every class this strategy will oblige to acquire continously knowledge and reasoning strategies.

Learning Outcomes

 The acquisition of knowledge on the relation between biomolecules chemical composition-functional groups’ structures, stereochemical features and their function is the goal of this curricular unit. At the end of this course students must know to correlate structure and biologic function, applying concepts learnt throughout the course, including enzyme mechanisms and kinetics in problem solving. Students will also acquire the skills to learn autonomously either by searching on the web and/or through specialized literature.

As the structure-function relationship is fundamental this course teaching-learning strategy will provide students with the background knowledge fundamental to many other subjects, as well as the critical skills to understand what is scientifically published about biomolecules behavior and, ultimately, about cells' behavior.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

 Chemical constitution of major bimolecules. Chemical groups reactivity in biomolecules formation. Conformation, configuration: structure and functional role. Biomolecules interactions: stereoselectivity and stereoselectivity

Carbohydrates: Monosaccharides and polysaccharides. Structural major features: role in chemical and biologic properties. Glycoproteins and glycolipids: structure and function

Nucleic acids. Monomeric units and polimers structure and chemical properties: role in genetic information

Lipids. Chemical structures and functions (structural, energetic and cell signaling)

Aminoacids: chemical structures and properties. Peptide bond: conformation and configuration. Ramachandran grafics. Proteins: structural organization levels. Alosteric proteíns

Enzymes: catalytic specificity,catalysis and identification methodologies. Control of enzymes activity. Reversible regulation: alosteric and covalent modification.  Ireversible regulation. Abzymes and ribozymes

Head Lecturer(s)

Irina de Sousa Moreira

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Mini Tests: 20.0%
Frequency: 80.0%

Bibliography

D. L. Nelson and M. M. Cox (2005) Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, 4th ed., W. H. Freeman and Company, New York, USA.

 J. M . Berg, J. L. Tymoczko and L. Stryer (2007) Biochemistry, 6th ed., W. H. Freeman and Company, New York, USA.

P.A. Frey and A.D. Hegeman (2007) Enzymatic Reaction Mechanisms, 1st ed., New York: Oxford University Press, USA.

 T.D.H. Bugg (2012) Introduction to Enzyme and Coenzyme Chemistry, 3rd ed., Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, USA.

 R.A. Copeland (2000) Enzymes: A Practical Introduction to Structure, Mechanism, and Data Analysis, 2nd ed., New York: Wiley-VCH, Inc., USA.