Structural Biology: Principles and Practice
BCH425H
The structure, dynamics, and energetics of biological systems can be investigated using biophysical techniques that involve the absorption, emission, and scattering of electromagnetic radiation and particles. This course provides a detailed overview of structural biology approaches used for the study of macromolecules (particularly proteins and nucleic acids) so that students will be able to understand journal articles and seminars dealing with these methods, as well as how these techniques can be applied to answer important questions in biochemistry or molecular biology. While many different methods will be surveyed, the emphasis is on those techniques that enable atomic or near-atomic level descriptions of macromolecular structure: X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and electron cryomicroscopy. Their integration with other methods, such as fluorescence and scanning probe microscopy, to study the structure and function of complex macromolecules will also be discussed.
Course Next Offered
September 2024
Course Time and Location
10-11am, Tuesdays and Thursdays
Location: TBD
Prerequisites
BCH210H/BCH242Y
Enrollment Limit
Yes — 30
Method of Student Evaluation
Problem sets (take home): 30%
Midterm test (in class): 25%
Final exam (3 hours): 45%
Recommended Reading
“Biological Spectroscopy”, Ian D. Campbell & Raymond A. Dwek (Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc., 1984)
“Biophysical Chemistry”, part II, Charles R. Cantor and Paul R. Schimmel (W.H. Freeman, 1980)
“Crystal Structure Analysis, a Primer”, 2nd ed., Jenny P. Glusker & Kenneth N. Trueblood (Oxford University Press, 1985)
Coordinator
Simon Sharpe
Peter Gilgan Center for Research and Learning
686 Bay St., Room 20.9714
416-813-7852
ssharpe@sickkids.ca
Instructors
P. Lynne Howell
416-813-5378
howell@sickkids.ca
John L. Rubinstein
416-813-7255
john.rubinstein@utoronto.ca
Christopher M. Yip
416-978-7853
christopher.yip@utoronto.ca