UCL - Biochimie structurale et fonctionnelle

[BBMC2101]

[30h] 3 credits

Teacher(s): Patrice Soumillion

Language: French

Level: Second

Aims
Main themes

Aims

The objective of the course is to acquire the fundamental principles that allow describing and understanding the properties of proteins and nucleic acids, going from structural biology to chemistry (catalysis, interactions). It will give a vision of the general characteristics of proteins and nucleic acids architecture that lead to the very great variety of structures, functions and interactions observed in nature. The student will also understand the chemical nature of molecular interactions and the mechanisms of chemical catalysis that underlie the functions of proteins. Regarding structural biochemistry, the student will acquire the knowledge of the concepts and tools that are necessary for manipulating, observing and describing the three-dimensional structures of biomolecules. The student will learn how to use the variety of informatic resources related to structural biology and available on the web (databanks, prediction algorithms, visualization softwares). He will also learn how to identify, characterize and describe interactions between biomolecules.The formalism of enzymatic kinetics will be initially reminded. With the help of case studies, the student will learn how to identify the different catalytic strategies used by enzymes and the underlying principles of chemical catalysis. These notions will finally allow him/her to better understand the different molecular mechanisms of enzymatic regulation and inhibition.

Main themes

The course will be divided into two parts:1. Structural biochemistry:- patterns and forms in protein structures (observation, manipulation, description, classification)- principles of protein folding - domains and assemblies (modular nature of proteins, multi-protein complexes)- bioinformatics in structural biology- interactions between biomolecules (methods and characterization)2. Enzymology- principles of enzyme catalysis (Michaelis Menten, steady state kinetics, reaction schemes)- the basics of chemical catalysis by proteins (catalysis by amino acids lateral chains, active site complementarity, entropic catalysis, transition state stabilisation)- control of enzyme activity (inhibition, activation, cooperativity, allosterism, environmental effects)