00061 - Biochemistry (A-L)

Learning outcomes

The students will acquire a basic knowledge of biochemistry and metabolism, and will apply some basic methods of biochemistry. In particular, the student will become familiar with the structure and function of the main biochemical compounds (sugars, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids), with the main metabolic pathways in animal cells and their regulation, and will have assimilated an overview of the fundamental principles of metabolism and overall interplay of the main metabolic pathways.

Course contents

• Weak interactions in water: charge-charge interactions, hydrogen bond, interactions between dipols, hydrophobic interactions, van der Waals forces.
• Aminoacids and proteins: Physicochemical characteristics of aminoacids, peptide bonds, primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of proteins, secondary structure prediction.
• Lipids and membranes: Structure of lipids in the biological membranes, structure and organization of cell membranes.
• Methods for purification and analysis of proteins: Elements of chromatography, electrophoresis, Edman degradation, mass spectrometry, crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, optical spectroscopy.
• Oxygen binding proteins: Myoglobin and hemoglobin, cooperativity and allosteric interactions, hemoglobin regulation, emoglobinopathies.
  
• Enzymes: General features of enzymes, activation energy, enzyme-substrate complex formation, enzyme classification, main mechanisms of catalysis. Enzyme kinetics: Michaelis-Menten model, meaning of Km,Vmax e Kcat, linearization of the Michaelis-Menten equation. Enzyme inhibition and kinetic analysis: competitive, non competitive, acompetitive, mixed inibitors. Regulation of enzymatic activity: allosteric control, control through regulatory proteins, reversible covalent modification, irreversible covalent modification. Examples of catalytic strategies: lactate-dehydrogenase, trypsine.
• Enzymes and membrane proteins: Channels, pumps, tight junctions, molecular basis of neuron excitation.
• Intercellular communication: Receptors coupled to heterotrimeric G proteins, receptors coupled to enzymes, monomeric G proteins.
  
• Metabolism: General aspects, anabolism and catabolism, thermodynamic coupling of reactions, high energy compounds, ATP, involvements of coenzyms in metabolic pathways.
• Carbohydrates metabolism : Glycolisis, citric acid cycle, gluconeogenesis, glycogen metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway.
• Oxidative phosphorylation: Redox potentials, electron transport chain, proton gradient and chemiosmosis, ATP synthesis.
  
• Metabolism of lipids: Triglycerid use in animals, fatty acids oxydation and synthesis, metabolism of glycerol containing phospholipids, sfingolipids metabolism, cholesterol metabolism.
• Metabolism of aminoacids : Organic nitrogen biogenesis, aminoacids synthesis and degradation, urea cycle.
  
• Metabolism of nucleotides: Synthesis of purines and pyrimidines (de novo and salvage pathway), degradation of nitrogen bases.
• Integration and control of metabolism.

Readings/Bibliography

• Werner Muller-Esterl, "Biochimica", ed. Idelson-Gnocchi.
• Berg, JM, Tymoczko, JL. e Stryer, L. "Biochimica" (quinta edizione) ed. Zanichelli.
• Nelson, DL e Cox, MM, "I principi di Biochimica di Lehninger" (quinta edizione) ed. Zanichelli

Assessment methods

There will be a final written test, comprising about two dozen questions.

Teaching tools

The powerpoint presentation used in class are published in:
     http://campus.cib.unibo.it
as well as examples of previous tests.

Office hours

See the website of Maria Paola Turina