BMB Graduate Group - Fall 2008 Course Listings


	FALL 2008
BMB 508 – Macromolecular Biophysics I Van Duyne & Wand M/W, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. 255 Anatomy-Chemistry Bldg. Course starts September 3, 2008 This course introduces students to the physical and chemical properties of proteins, nucleic acids, and membranes. The emphasis in BMB508 is on thermodynamics and structure, with several lectures devoted to the biophysical methods used to study biological macromolecules. This is intended to be a first course for graduate students with an undergraduate background in physics, chemistry, or biology. The companion course BMB 509, which is taught in the spring, builds on this course and covers kinetics, dynamics, and catalysis. BMB 518 (CAMB 615) – Topics in Conformation Disease Argon & Ischiropoulos 204 Stellar-Chance Labs W, 3 - 5 p.m. Course starts September 10, 2008 Prerequisite: BIOM600 or equivalent undergraduate biochemistry and cell biology courses Protein misfolding and aggregation has been associated with a number of human diseases, ranging from Alzhemier's and Parkinson's Disease to Respiratory Distress Syndrome, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency and Mad Cow Disease. This seminar course will include lectures, directed readings and student presentations to cover seminal and current concepts in the biochemistry and cell biology of conformational diseases. Examples of topics: effects of mutations on folding in the cell, inclusion bodies formation, protein degradation pathways, and effects of protein aggregation on cell function. BMB 554 (CHEM 555) – Macromolecular Crystallography: Methods and Applications Skordalakes & Marmorstein Tu/Th, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon 305 Towne Building Course starts September 4, 2008 Prerequisites: Undergraduate calculus and trigomometry The first half of the course covers the principles and techniques of macromolecular structure determination using x-ray crystallography. The second half of the course covers extracting biological information from x-ray crystal structures with special emphasis on using structures reported in the literature and presented by faculty and students. BMB 567 (CHEM567) – Bioinorganic Chemistry Dmochowski Tu/Th 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. 119 Chemistry Building This course covers selected topics in bioinorganic chemistry. Special emphasis is placed on dioxygen chemistry and electron transfer processes. Course topics include: 1) oxygen uptake and utilization; 2) oxygen transport; 3) oxygen and O atom incorporation into substrates; 4) metalloenzyme-catalyzed C-C bond formation; 5) the metallobiochemistry of DNA; 6) metal-sulfide proteins; 7) manganese containing metalloproteins: 8) photosystem II, light-driven electron transfer and the biological water-splitting reaction; 9) biological electron transfer; 10) electron transfer theory; 11) mechanisms of energy storage and release; and 12) long-distance electron transfer reactions. BMB 585 – Wistar Institute Cancer Biology Course: Cell Cycle Checkpoints and Cancer Course Kissil & Dahmane Th 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. Wistar Institute Course starts September 4, 2008 This course is intended to provide foundational information about the molecular basis of cancer. When necessary the significance of this information for clinical aspects of cancer is also discussed. The main theme centers around cell cycle checkpoints with specific emphasis on the biochemistry and genetics of DNA damage signaling pathways, DNA damage checkpoints, mitotic checkpoints and their relevance to human cancer. The course is taught by the organizers and guest lecturers from universities and research institutions in the Northeast. Following every lecture, students present a research paper related to the topic of that lecture. The course is intended for first and second year graduate students, but all graduate students are welcome to attend. BMB 601 – Fundamentals of Magnetic Resonance Reddy Tu/Th 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. MMRRCC Conference Room, B1 Stellar-Chance Labs Organizational meeting: September 11 Course starts September 16 This course introduces basic theoretical and experimental concepts of magnetic resonance and its applications in biochemistry, biology and medicine. Topics covered include description of the phenomenon of magnetic resonance, classical and quantum strategies to compute nuclear spin responses in liquids, solids and biological tissues, polarization transfer and multiple quantum effects and their applications in biomedicine. Nuclear spin relaxation in solid-state materials and in biological systems will be discussed. Concepts of magnetic resonance imaging, imaging strategies, image contrast, and diagnostic applications are discussed. The course includes several practicals dealing with the demonstration of NMR hardware and experiments to compute basic NMR parameters on high resolution and clinical MRI scanners. For further details of the course visit www.mmrrcc.upenn.edu BMB 610 – Life and the Electromagnetic Spectrum Vanderkooi Second half of semester, 10-30-08 to 12-05-08 (1/2 credit) Tu/Th 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. 255 Anatomy-Chemistry Building Course starts October 30, 2008 Spectroscopy applied to biological molecules. Emphasis is placed on the common principles of absorption and relaxation techniques for infrared and visible light and includes discussion of light absorption and emission processes used by living organisms. BMB 614 – Membrane Structural Biology Lemmon First half of semester, 09-09-08 to 10-22-08 (1/2 credit) Course starts September 9, 2008 The composition, structure, and physical properties of cell membranes will be considered, as will recent advances in structural studies of membrane proteins. Topics will range from membrane structure to membrane protein folding, combining biophysical and cellular perspectives. BMB 624 – Ion Channels and Pumps Kallen & Lu COURSE CANCELLED This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of ion channel function, with the course loosely organized around major classes of ion channels (voltage, mechanical and ligand gated). Discussion will focus on methods of study, mechanisms of ion selectivity and gating, and pathophysiology of human diseases (channelopathies). Intended for second year graduate students or first years students with a strong background in biophysics or physiology. BMB 650 – Current Biochemical Topics Black & Shorter M, 12 - 1:00 p.m. (255 Anatomy-Chemistry Building) Th, 12 - 1:00 p.m. (Austrian Auditorium, Clinical Research Building) Th, 1 - 2:00 p.m. (JF Library, 248 Anatomy-Chemistry Building) Course starts September 15, 2008 Participation in the "Dr. George W. Raiziss Biochemical Rounds", a weekly seminar program sponsored by the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Program deals with a wide range of modern biochemical and biophysical topics presented by established investigators selected from our faculty and by leading scientists from other institutions. BMB 700 (CHEM 700)(PHRM 630) – Selected Topics in Chemistry Cooperman & DeGrado COURSE CANCELLED Prerequisites: a strong background in undergraduate chemistry is required and at least one semester of biological chemistry is very desirable. The course explores how recent developments in our abilities to make and analyze biologically important macromolecules provide new approaches to drug development and discovery. Tutorial, Independent Study and Lab Rotation Courses BMB 598 - Tutorial Black Literature studies in a specific research area under supervision of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group faculty, concluded by a written summary and a seminar presentation. Course offered fall, spring and summer semesters. BMB 699 - Laboratory Rotation Shorter Supervised mini-projects for graduate students in BMB, seminar presentation required. Course offered fall, spring and summer semesters. BMB 799 - Independent Study (Years 1- 2) BMB 999 - Independent Study (Years 3 – 5)