| Department of Natural Sciences
90 % Department of Plant Biology 10 % | |||||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | BSc. 1 year | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | Two blocks | ||||||||||||||||
| Credits | 15 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||||
| Course Level | BSc | ||||||||||||||||
| Examination | Final Examination written examination Written Exam in Lecturehall All aids allowed Description of Examination: 3 timers skriftlig prøve Weight: 100% pass/fail, internal examiner Dates of Exam: 07 April 2006 | ||||||||||||||||
| Requirement For Attending Exam | 1) To carry out at least 7 of the 9 laboratory exercises. 2) To obtain 25 (out of 34) points from hand-in exercises (1 pt), lab. reports (2 pts) and PBL presentations (3 pts). | ||||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | Usually two double lectures/week, one theoretical exercise/week and one laboratory exercise/week. Some weeks with PBL instead of TE or TE instead of LE. | ||||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 2 Week Structure: B, skal koordineres med IGVs andre førsteårskurser Block 3 Week Structure: B, Skal koordineres med IGVsandre førsteårskurser | ||||||||||||||||
| Teaching Language | English | ||||||||||||||||
| Areas of Competence the Course Will Address | |||||||||||||||||
| Basic Sci. Knowledge of biochemically important aspects of organic chemistry and selected aspects of general chemistry. Understanding of central aspects of biochemistry (intermediary metabolism, genes, protein synthesis, structure and function of proteins and enzymes). Understanding of some connections from biochemistry to anatomy, physiology and molecular genetics (e.g. time- and size-scale, biochemical differences between leaves, roots and storage organs and tissues, primary vs. secondary metabolites, the genetic code.) Knowledge of theoretical and practical aspects of some experimental methods, with focus on analytical methods such as chromatography, gel electrophoresis, UV spectroscopy and enzyme assay. Knowledge of scientific papers, as medium of scientific communication. Basic knowledge of written and oral communication. Appl. Sci. Knowledge of the role of biochemistry in plant breeding and quality assessment. Eth. Val. Awareness of scientific honesty | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Objectives | |||||||||||||||||
| The course aims at giving a basic understanding of the biochemistry of plants, based on: 1) A minimal basis of general and organic chemistry. 2) A chemical and biochemical understanding of important plant components: Primary and secondary metabolites, polysaccharides, and proteins. 3) Description of plant physiological processes at the cell level: Respiration, photosynthesis, molecular genetics and an introduction to biosyntheses. 4) Introductory reading of original scientific papers. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Contents | |||||||||||||||||
| The Chemistry of Life covers the structures, properties, reactions and functions of plant metabolites and macromolecules, and describes the network of reactions which together constitutes plant biochemistry. After an introduction to organic chemistry, we focus on a chemical and biological understanding of primary metabolism, i.e. the part of metabolism that is common for all plants, and which includes the biosynthesis and degradation of biomolecules, and how plants obtain energy for the life processes. The curriculum includes: The reactivity, including acid-base and redox properties, of some important functional groups: alcohol, phenol, aldehyde, ketone, carboxylic acid, ester, amine and amide. The structure, properties and biological functions of selected hydrocarbons, carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids and secondary metabolites. Properties of enzymes, including reaction mechanisms, thermodynamic aspects, basal kinetics and cofactors. Primary metabolism and respiration, including thermodynamic aspects, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, citric acid cycle, glyoxylate cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, protein biosynthesis and photosynthesis. The 9 laboratory exercises comprise: A1+2) Pipettes, pH determination and titration. A3) Compound identification based on reactivity and solubility. B) Plant oils: Saponification and fatty acid profile. C) Amino acids: Identification based on titration and TLC. D) Plant pigments: Extraction of carotenoids and anthocyanins, TLC and UV spectroscopy. E) Partial purification of horse radish peroxidase. F) Isolation and hydrolysis of starch. G) Kinetic constants of horse radish peroxidase. H) Extraction, reduction and alkylation of barley storage proteins, SDS PAGE. | |||||||||||||||||
| Teaching And Learning Methods | |||||||||||||||||
| The curriculum is presented in lectures. Problem solving is practiced in theoretical exercises. Laboratory exercises demonstrate experimental work and its' interpretation. A PBL case integrates the competences obtained in the course, introduces scientific papers and demands written and oral communication of some sophistication. Intensive self study of curriculum and exercises is a vital part of the course. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Litterature | |||||||||||||||||
| Selected sections of: Ouellette, R. J. (1998) Organic Chemistry, a Brief Introduction, 2. Ed. Prentice Hall, or another book of general organic chemistry. Exact course litterature will be communicated later. Horton H. R., Moran L. A., Ochs R. S., Rawn J. D., Scrimgeour K. G. (2002) Principles of Biochemistry, 3. Ed. Prentice Hall. Selected sections of: Raven P. H., Evert R. F., Eichhorn S. E. (1999) Biology of Plants, 6. Ed. Freeman, or another book with an introductory treatment of molecular genetics and protein synthesis. Exact course litterature will be communicated later. Bukh, Tulinius, Agerbirk. Laboratory Exercises, The Chemistry of Life. Most recent edition. Samfundslitteratur. Tulinius, Bukh, Agerbirk. Theoretical Exercises, The Chemistry of Life. Most recent edition. Samfundslitteratur. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||||
| Niels Agerbirk, nia@life.ku.dk, Department of Natural Sciences/Biochemistry & Natural Product Chemistry, Phone: 35332438 Poul Erik Jensen, peje@life.ku.dk, Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology/Laboratory for Molecular Plant Biology, Phone: 35333340 | |||||||||||||||||
| Study Board | |||||||||||||||||
| Study Committee NSN | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Scope | |||||||||||||||||
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