3 credits
Fall 2025 Lecture
This course will provide students with an understanding of the basic principles that underlie the secondary and tertiary structure of proteins and nucleic acids which contribute to their function. It will inform students of current efforts to engineer macromolecules with novel functions. Students will become familiar with methods used to determine the three-dimensional structures of macromolecules, and they will learn to critically evaluate the accuracy of structural models. Special topics in the current literature, including membrane proteins, drug design and ribozymes, will be covered. The class will typically include students from a variety of departments, graduate programs, and scientific backgrounds. The course will be taught primarily from various textbook and from the primary literature. A biochemistry course designated for majors is a prerequisite of the course. Lack of the prerequisite will require approval of the instructor. Permission of Department required.
Learning Outcomes1Acquire knowledge about the chemical structures and properties of the building blocks of biological macromolecules, including amino acids and nucleic acids.
2Develop the skills required to visualize and analyze the higher order structures of proteins and nucleic acids.
3Acquire information literacy by learning to use online resources to explore evolutionary relationships among macromolecules, and to prepare three dimensional models of proteins and nucleic acids.
Restrictions
made by Purdue students.