BMB502: Enzymes and membranes (5 ECTS)

STADS: 01006501

Level
Bachelor course

Teaching period
The course is offered in the autumn semester.
First quarter.

Teacher responsible
Email: lfo@bmb.sdu.dk
Email: bagatolli@bmb.sdu.dk

Timetable
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Revison of timetable:
: Hold S2 er forbeholdt studerende fra det Tekniske Fakultet.

Prerequisites:
None

Academic preconditions:
The courses BB501, Biology – from Molecule to Ecosystem or BB508, and MM502 Calculus II or MM504 Biomath II must be passed. Furthermore, the student must be familiar with the content of the course BMB501, Biomolecular Chemistry.

Course introduction
Give students a thorough introduction to the catalytic properties and the mode of action of enzymes as well as to the structure and function of biological membranes. The course will focus on the basic theory about enzymes and membranes, as well as on the methods, that are used in their study. The topics in the course will form the basis for later work with enzymes and membranes, and it will provide the fundamental knowledge for the study of cell metabolism and its incorporation into physiology.

Qualifications
The students will get a an insight into the structure and function of enzymes and biological membranes and they will be able to use this knowledge in various scientific and medical contexts, such as
• To use the basic laws of thermodynamics on biological problems
• To be able to work practically with enzymes and membranes
• To understand how enzymes and membranes carry out their function
• To know how enzyme activity can be determined in various biological samples, e.g. blood samples
• To understand how the activity of enzymes and membrane proteins can be regulated and use this knowledge to predict the action of various compounds, e.g. toxins or drugs, on metabolism
• To understand and predict the effect of changes in the physico-chemical properties of biological membranes on various membrane-bound processes


Expected learning outcome


Subject overview
The following topics will be presented and discussed:
1. Thermodynamics, including the first and second law of thermodynamics with special emphasis on entropy.
2. Experimental techniques used to study enzymes and membranes, especially spectrophotometry and fluorescence spectroscopy
3. Chemical kinetics – including first and second order reactions
4. Simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics
5. Bisubstrate reactions
6. Cooperativity and allostery
7. Regulation of enzyme activity
8. Examples of the catalytic mechanisms of enzymes
9. The chemical components of biological membranes
10. Lipid structures in aqueous solution
11. The Singer-Nicholson model of membrane structure
12. Local lipid structures
13. Diffusion through membranes
14. Active and passive membrane transport
15. Ion channels
16. Membrane receptors
The students will get an opportunity to study simple membrane systems and enzyme reactions in two laboratory exercises.

Literature

• Noter til enzymer og membraner, lægges på Blackboard senest 2 uger før kursets start...

Syllabus
See syllabus.

Website
This course uses e-learn (blackboard).

Prerequisites for participating in the exam
None

Assessment and marking:
a) Approval og two reports of laboratory exercises. Evaluated pass/fail marking by teacher (1 ECTS). b) Three-hour written exam at the end of the course. External examiner and marks according to the Danish 7-point scale (4 ECTS).

Expected working hours
The teaching method is based on three phase model.

Undervisningen vil bestå af forelæsninger (30 timer), eksaminatorier (12 timer) og laboratorieøvelser (8 timer). Kommunikationen mellem lærere og studerende vil i vid udstrækning foregå via SDU’s e-learn system. Dele af kurset kan være på engelsk.
Educational activities

Language
This course is taught in Danish.

Course enrollment
See deadline of enrolment.

Tuition fees for single courses
See fees for single courses.