Spring 2001
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/chemistry/chem-g8312/
Instructors
Professor Virginia Cornish
office location: 418 Havemeyer
office hours: M 6:00-7:00 p.m.
email: vc114@columbia.edu
Hening Lin, teaching
assistant
office location: 418 Havemeyer
office hours: T 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
email: lhening@chem.columbia.edu
Lecture
Lecture: M 3:00-6:00 p.m. Location TBA
Course Description
and Prerequisites
Each week we will discuss current literature in the field of protein chemistry. The focus of this course will be current research aimed at understanding fundamental biological processes at the molecular level. Topics will include protein stability, genomics, transcription, and signal transduction. The course is not intended to be comprehensive, but rather to provide exposure to emerging areas of research and experience critically evaluating the literature. For each topic, a review paper and several original research papers will be assigned. The instructor will give a brief lecture introducing each topic. Discussions of the assigned reading will be led by the students enrolled in the course on a rotating basis. The student presenter will give an overview of the literature and then lead a discussion of the experimental evidence presented in the assigned research papers. There will be no exams. For students taking the course for a letter grade, grades will be assigned based on class participation, the in-class presentation, and an original research proposal due at the end of the term. Students who wish to sit in on the class can take the class on a pass/fail basis, in which case they will not have to write an original proposal and their grade will be based solely on class participation and the in-class presentation.
Prerequisites: Biochemistry or Instructor’s Permission
Reading Material
Required:
(1) Course Reader (Review and Primary Literature Papers)
Supplemental:
(2) T. E. Creighton, "Proteins. Structures and Molecular Properties," 2nd Edition, W.H. Freeman and Co., New York, 1993.
(3) H. Lodish, et al., “Molecular Cell Biology,” 3rd Edition, W.H. Freeman and Co., New York, 1995.
There is no homework. Students are responsible for reading the assigned review and primary literature papers each week.
There are no examinations. Students are, however, required to give an in-class presentation and write an original research proposal.
The original research
proposal should describe an original project in the field of protein chemistry
that could be carried out by an advanced student in 2-3 years. The project should be distinct from your own
research. The proposal should be no
more than ten pages including figures and references and should consist of an
Introduction (1 page), Background and Significance (2 pages), Research Design
and Methods (3 pages), and Reference section (suggested page length in
parantheses). The proposal will be
graded primarily on the originality and choice of problem, the appropriateness
of the proposed research to the problem, and the organization and clarity of
the proposal.
APPROXIMATE SCHEDULE
Mar 19 Introduction: Protein Structure and Function
Mar 26 Topic 1: Protein Stability and Protein Design
Apr 2 Topic 2: Enzyme Evolution and Genomics
Apr 9 Topic 3: Transcription—DNA-Binding Proteins and the Lac Operon
Apr 16 Topic 4: Transcription—the GAL Genes and Higher-Order Mechanisms
Apr 23 Topic 5: Protein Degradation—the Ubiquitin System and Caspases
Apr 30 Topic 6: Signal Transduction—MAP Kinase Pathways and G-Protein-
Coupled Receptors