BIOINORGANIC CHEMISTRY PART B
To address successfully the topics of the course, students must have solid knowledge of coordination chemistry (geometry, electronic properties, fundamental reactions) and of basic organic chemistry and chemical physics. Contens of Part A of the course are preparatory to Part B
Examination will consist in an oral presentation lasting about 30 minutes, with the help of PowerPoint projections, of a research conducted by deepening/expanding a topic covered in class. The speech will followed by a discussion on the presentation and on the course program. The final grade will be out of thirty and will result in the accreditation of 8 cfu. It is not possible to take the exam only on part B of the course.
The purpose of the course is to provide basic knowledge on the nature and properties of the more common metal-enzymes, with a focus on function and structure of the active site and on the role of these molecules in biological structures. Students completing the course will have become aware of the role of metals (mainly transition) in the organization of living systems.
Part B (32 hours)
1)Metal Chaperones (3 h). The case of copper.
2)Nickel (6 h). Urease. Hydrogenase and CO oxidoreductase. Ni-SOD
3)Manganese (6 h). Concanavalin. Peroxidase. Mn-SOD. Catalase.
4)Molybdenum (6 h). Mo containing oxotransferase: the cofactor MoCo. The role of molybdenum in the nitrogen cycle: nitrogenase.
5)Cobalt (3 h). Cobalamines, Vitamin B12. Methionine synthase. Methyl-malonyl mutase.
6)Photosynthesis (8 h). Photosystem I and II. Cytochrome b6/f complex. The role of Mn in the photosynthetic process: the oxygen evolving complex.
Classroom lectures will be given with the aid of PowerPoint presentations.
Office Hours:
Every day, from 10 to 12 and from 14 to 17.