Content and teaching | Assessment | Availability

Module content and teaching

Principal aims

This module aims to highlight the central importance of enzymes as catalysts in biological systems which are involved in the interconversion of all essential cellular metabolites (primary metabolites) and the production of many natural products of importance in medicine and agriculture. In addition this module aims to define the major classes into which secondary metabolites fall according to their structure and to explain how labelled precursors can be used to determine the primary metabolic building blocks from which secondary metabolites are assembled. The module includes descriptions of the molecular mechanisms of the most important enzyme catalysed reactions in natural product biosynthesis and associated coenzyme mechanisms, and some of the methods used to elucidate these mechanisms. Students will learn how the principles of organic chemistry can be critically used to discriminate between different possible mechanisms for a given enzyme catalysed reaction (12 lectures). In addition this module aims to enable students to link fundamental components of the major classes of molecular interactions that play key roles in recognition processes. Semi-quantitative methods for estimating strengths of these processes will be introduced and used in the analysis and study of well-described systems from biology (enzymes, drug-receptor interactions, non-covalent assemblies) and synthetic systems (small molecule, host-guest, self-assembled architectures). In studying these systems students will become familiar with underlying chemical principles and use some of the tools for computer-aided molecular visualisation and modelling encountered in years 1 and 2. The module is designed in particular to allow students working at the interface between Chemistry and Biology to begin to use these tools but is accessible to students on other Chemistry degree streams as well (10 lectures).

Principal learning outcomes

By the end of the module the student should be able to: Decide which class(es) a given natural product belongs to by inspecting its structure. Draw plausible mechanisms for the enzyme catalysed reactions involved in the biosynthesis of the major classes of natural product. Deduce the pattern of labelled precursor incorporation into a secondary metabolite by inspection of its structure and plausible pathway(s) for the formation of a given natural product given its structure and the pattern of labelled precursor incorporation. Deduce which coenzymes would be required for biosynthetic transformations, and write plausible reaction mechanisms for their respective reactions. List main classes of non-covalent interaction with a suitable example from a biological system. Describe relative strengths of non-covalent interactions in chemical and biological systems. Recognise what are the key non-covalent interactions in a given synthetic or biological example. Explain how physico-chemical methods are used for the characterisation of non-covalent complexes, including the use of thermodynamic equations. Explain what is meant by self-assembly in the context of a biological or synthetic system Manipulate crystal structures of proteins using Jmol, PyMol or similar visualisation software.

Timetabled teaching activities

22 hrs lectures 8 hrs workshops

Departmental link

http://go.warwick.ac.uk/CH3F5

Other essential notes

Pre-requisites: CH264

Module assessment

Assessment group	Assessment name	Percentage
15 CATS (Module code: CH3F5-15)
D (Assessed/examined work)	Assessed Course Work	10%
	Examination - March	90%
	Assessed Course Work	100%

Module availability

This module is available on the following courses:

Core

• Undergraduate Biomedical Chemistry with Intercalated Year (B9F1) - Year 4
• Undergraduate Biomedical Chemistry (BF91) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Chemical Biology MChem with Intercalated Year (F1C1) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Chemical Biology MChem with Intercalated Year (F1C1) - Year 4
• MChem Chemical Biology (FC11) - Year 3

Optional Core

N/A

Optional

• Undergraduate Chemistry 3 Year Variants (F100) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Chemistry (with Intercalated Year) Variants (F101) - Year 4
• Undergraduate Master of Chemistry Variants (F105) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Master of Chemistry Variants (F106) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Master of Chemistry (with Intercalated Year) (F107) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Master of Chemistry (with Intercalated Year) (F107) - Year 4
• Undergraduate Chemistry 3 Year Variants (F121) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Chemistry (with Intercalated Year) Variants (F122) - Year 4
• Undergraduate Master of Chemistry Variants (F125) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Master of Chemistry Variants (F126) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Master of Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry(with Intercalated Year) (F127) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Master of Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry(with Intercalated Year) (F127) - Year 4
• Undergraduate Chemistry with Management (F1N1) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Chemistry with Management (with Intercalated Year) (F1N2) - Year 4