B015922 - INTERACTOMICS: STRUCTURE, THERMODYNAMICS AND KINETICS

Italian

The course deals with both experimental and theoretical aspects of interactions between proteins, nucleic acids and other biomolecules. Identification, quantification, and control over such complexes is key to areas such as drug-discovery, cell signalling, elucidation of biosynthetic pathways and understanding of enzyme catalysis.

No specific textbooks are available.
Book chapters and review articles on specific subjects will be provided to the students.

Knowledge acquired:
Knowledge of the thermodynamics and kinetics governing biomolecular interactions.
Basic knowledge of the main experimental methods for the characterization of biomolecular complexes

Competence acquired
Comprehension of the scientific literature dealing with biomolecular interactions, both in terms of description of the functional and structural features of the involved biomolecules and in terms of the applied methodology.

Skills acquired (at the end of the course):
Skills acquired (at the end of the course):
Ability to independently and competently evaluate the best methodological approaches for the characterization of classes of interactions.
Ability to design an appropriate experimental approach for solving practical problems.

none

Total hours of the course (including the time spent in attending lectures, seminars, private study, examinations, etc...): 150
Hours reserved to private study and other individual formative activities: 102
Contact hours for: Lectures (hours): 48

Frequency of lectures, practice and lab:
optional
Teaching tools
Power point presentations of the lectures

The examination includes an oral interview to verify the acquired knowledge about structural concepts, kinetics and thermodynamics regulating biomolecular interactions and main experimental methodologies described in the two modules of the course. Skills in the critical analysis of the activities performed during the lab practicals will be tested. Finally, the student ability to apply the acquired knowledge to some new practical problems will be ascertained.

The intermolecular interactions involving proteins are at the basis of most major biological process and the definition of the interactome of a living organism provides the frame for the comprehension of biology as an integrated system.
The present course aims at defining the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects at the basis of biomolecular interactions such as protein-protein, protein-nucleic acid, protein–metal ion, protein–membrane.
We will review the main methodological approaches for partner identification, obtainment of structural information about the intermolecular adducts, and definition of the interaction affinity. Description of the principles of metabolomics, i.e. the systematic analysis of small molecules in biological samples.