Course Descriptions

Program: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

BIOC-101. General Biochemistry.4crs. The structure, function, and metabolism of the important classes of biochemicals are discussed. This includes a discussion of the biochemistry of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, vitamins, hormones and coenzymes.

BIOC-170. General Biochemistry.7crs. The structure, function, and metabolism of the important classes of biochemicals are discussed. This includes a discussion of the biochemistry of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, vitamins, hormones and coenzymes. The BIOC 170 course covers the same material as does BIOC 101, but in more depth. It is designed for biochemistry PhD students.

BIOC-201-01 Seminar in Biochemistry - 1 credit hour. Students are required to present a seminar on a current topic in biochemical research which is of interest to them. Prerequisite: BIOC- 170-01 or 101-01 General Biochemistry.

BIOC-203-01 Biochemistry Laboratory - 3 credit hours. Instruction in biochemical techniques and instrumentation. Prerequisites: BIOC170-01 or BIOC- 101-01 (may be currently enrolled) or permission of coordinator.

BIOC-205-01 Directed Research - 1 to 9 credit hours. Enrollment limited to advanced biochemistry and molecular biology graduate students, who have completed the core course work.

BIOC-208-01 Protein Structure and Function - 3 credit hours. Correlation of the three-dimensional structure of proteins with biological functions is intensively studied.

BIOC-211-01 Orientation to Research - 3 credit hours The purpose of Orientation to Research is to allow the student to become familiar with the research projects of faculty members in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The student also is given the opportunity to learn some of the research techniques used in these research projects. Students register for course BIOC-211-01 in the Fall Semester of their first year of study. The student works in the laboratories of three faculty members during Orientation to Research.

BIOC-216-01 Practical Biochemistry - 1 credit hour. A lecture and seminar course that involves the analysis of scientific reports, exercises in precise expression and writing of summaries of work done in courses. This course was done primarily for the training of M.S. students.

BIOC-240-01 Enzymology - 3 credit hours. The kinetic and mechanistic theory of enzyme action will be discussed with emphasis on the experimental approach used to interpret kinetic data and determine the kinetic parameters of classical enzymes and well-defined regulatory and transport systems. The steady-state rate equations for a number of unireactant and multi-reactant mechanisms will be developed. Reversible inhibition, isotope exchange, binding phenomenon, activation, environmental effects, and physiological regulation of enzyme activity will be considered separately. Prerequisites: Calculus; physical chemistry (thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, catalysis) or permission of the instructor.

BIOC-270-01 Molecular Biology - 3 credit hours. Topics vary somewhat each time the course is taught to include topics of current interest in nucleic acid-protein interaction.

BIOC-271-01 Special Topics in Biochemistry - 3 credit hours. Current, important research topics in biochemistry are discussed in this course. The topics of the course vary from year to year.

BIOC-272-01 Metabolic Regulation - 3 credit hours. The control of rate-limiting steps in intermediary metabolism by covalent modification of enzymes, metabolic disorders, and chemical messengers.

BIOC-300 Research for Ph.D. Candidates 1- 9 credit hours. Students register for these/this course(s) while they are engaged in their Ph.D. dissertation research project.