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Høst 2017

BIO-3022 Biological membranes and their proteins - 5 stp


The course is administrated by

Institutt for arktisk og marin biologi

Type of course

Master course for biology students - principally aimed at MSc-students specializing in Molecular Environmental Biology. Master course for chemistry students.

The course will be arranged with a maximum of 10 and minimum of 3 students.


Course contents

Membrane proteins are responsible for most communications between cells or cellular compartments. They ensure the passage of ions, metabolites or other molecules and permit signaling. They are involved in many fundamental processes (neurotransmission, bioenergetics, cell development and many others). Their mechanisms of action rely on minute atomic properties as well as on large conformational changes occurring within their structures. However, in contrast to soluble proteins, the function of a membrane protein is also strongly dependent on the properties of the lipidic membrane in which the protein is embedded. Because of the essential roles of membrane proteins in most fundamental biological processes, they constitute major drug targets, and it is estimated that nearly 60% of the currently approved drugs target membrane proteins. The course is an introduction to biological membranes. Students will learn about the composition of these membranes, lipids and proteins, the behavior of lipids and their phase diagrams, the role of proteins and the different types of functions they achieve. The course will give a complete overview from genes (and how to recognize genes encoding membrane proteins) to the synthesis and insertion pathways of membrane proteins to their target membrane. The courses will be of general interest to biology or chemistry students, with a particular focus on membrane processes deciphered at the molecular level. The course will also bring insights into biophysics of proteins. The course is held for 2 weeks and contains 14 lectures and 5 days in the lab.

Lectures are grouped in 4 parts: 1) Lipids and Membranes (4 lectures) Lipids and Biomembranes: definition of different classes of lipids, different phases formed by lipids in water Properties of biological membranes: lipid composition and membrane proteins Examples of different membranes in eukaryotic cells (specific lipids, ratio between lipids and proteins) Lipids of organisms living under extreme conditions (low temperature, high pressure) how to maintain the fluid phase 2) Membrane proteins in vivo and main biological functions (5 lectures) Finding membrane protein encoding genes within genomes, TM predictions, Topologies of membrane proteins Synthesis and transport to membranes Main functional classes: Transporters, Receptors, Ion channels, Enzymes Protein structures and their implications in function and dynamics 3) Methods for studying membranes and membrane proteins: biochemistry, structural biology and biophysics (4 lectures) Biochemistry of membrane proteins: Solubilization, purification, crystallization Properties and role of detergents and surfactants Liposomes and functional assays Biophysical methods to study membranes Single molecule fluorescence to understand membrane proteins in cells (dynamics, segregation, oligomerization) 4) Membrane proteins and drug design (1 lecture) Which targets? Identification of new hits Strategy for rational drug design

Lab exercises will be based on AcrB a multidrug transporter from E. coli, and will comprise: 1) Membrane preparation starting from cells overexpressing AcrB 2) Solubilization of membranes, purification of AcrB with affinity columns, test of a few detergents 3) Characterization of the purified protein,SDS-Page, Western Blot, Thermal stability 4) Crystallization of AcrB     5) Reconstitution into liposomes, testing protein incorporation by sucrose gradient and identification of the fractions


Application deadline

Concerns only admission to singular courses: Applicants from Nordic countries: 1 June for the autumn semester and 1 December for the spring semester. Exchange students and Fulbright students: 1 October for the spring semester and 15 April for the autumn semester.

Admission requirements

Local admission , application code 9371 - - Master`s level singular course.

Admission requires a Bachelor`s degree (180 ECTS) or equivalent qualification, with a major in biology or chemistry of minimum 80 ECTS.

The course will be arranged with a maximum of 10 and minimum of 3 students.


Objective of the course

The student will get

The student

The student


Language of instruction

English

Teaching methods

The course is a 2-weeks intensive course with 10 working days (from 8h15 to 16h) comprising 14 lectures and lab exercises, plus home work. In total, 14h of lectures and 65h of lab work.

Assessment

Written exam approximately 2 weeks after the course.

The assessment of the final exam will be ¿pass or fail¿.

Coursework requirements: Admission to the examination requires that a minimum of 80% of the theoretical and practical parts of the course has been completed and that lab work has been reported satisfactorily.


Date for examination

Written examination 29.11.2017

The date for the exam can be changed. The final date will be announced at your faculty early in May and early in November.


Recommended reading/syllabus

General textbooks in Biochemistry or biology, for example: Molecular Biology of the Cell Alberts, Johnson, Lewis et al. Textbooks on membrane and membrane proteins: Membrane structural biology M. Luckey, ISBN-13: 9780521856553, contains biochemical and biophysical foundations. Reviews on Membranes or membrane proteins: 1) The recombinant expression systems for structure determination of eukaryotic membrane proteins He et al. Protein&Cell (2014) 5, 658-672 2) Structure and Mechanics of membrane proteins Engel and Gaub, Ann. Rev. of Biochem. (2008) 77, 127-148.