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Molecular Organisation and Assembly in Cells

Techniques for the Characterisation of Biomolecules (CH921)

Module proposal information
Aim: To introduce students from a range of different backgrounds to biophysical instrumentation, methods of data collection and the form the data takes. Issues of quality of data will be addressed and the students will be equipped with data sets for use in later modules.

Syllabus: The techniques of: absorbance, fluorescence, X-ray crystallography, mass spectrometry, NMR, circular and linear dichroism will be introduced together with an outline of their application in structural characterisation of biomolecules. Aspects of instrument construction and design will be explored.

Generic issues that will also be addressed include:

  • what happens to the sample to create the signal that is recorded
  • what signal the instrument produces and how that is transformed into the output the user receives.
  • how the instrument output is used to deduce molecular structure.
  • what is signal:noise.
  • how to improve signal:noise.
Illustrative Bibliography:
  1. "Biochemistry" e.g. by Voet and Voet.
  2. Circular and linear dichroism, A. Rodger and B. Nord?n, Oxford University Press, 1997
  3. Principles of Protein X-Ray Crystallography (Springer Advanced Texts in Chemistry), Jan Drenth, Springer Verlag; 2nd edition (February 1999)
  4. Spin Dynamics, Basics of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Malcolm H. Levitt, Wiley 2001, ISBN 0 471 48922 0


Lecture Notes

Lecture notes are available to students on the current course. Please understand that these are made available on the understanding that they will be used only for the purpose of personal study. They should not be distributed to anyone else or made public in any other way.

(Previous) Essay

Discuss the discovery of the structure and function of amyloid fibres with particular reference to Alzheimer's fibres from the viewpoint of the biophysical techniques used to characterize them. Include in your essay consideration of how NMR, absorbance spectroscopies, X-ray crystallography and mass spectrometry were/might have been used.

Write using an American Chemical Society Journal template (such a Biochemistry, see below for web sites that were appropriate when I wrote this).

Use at least 3 primary literature references. Write 1500-2000 words plus any diagrams (Figure captions do not count in word count). Make sure all tables and figures are self contained and also make sure all tables and figures are referred to in the text.

Marks will be given for content and also spelling, grammar, setting out etc.

Both an electronic and hard copy version should be submitted by the declared due date.

Web sites to lead you to the Biochemistry template and instructions

All references you can find will be relatively recent. If you cannot find any then I have a couple of starting points I can give you.

Module leader

TBA


Course Handbook