Biochemistry

6 ECTS credits
175 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1015277BNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Enrollment Requirements

Students bachelor biology must have followed 'General Chemistry', before they can enroll for 'Biochemistry'. Students bachelor chemistry must have followed 'Chemistry: Structure of Matter and Chemical Reactions I' and 'Chemistry: Structure of Matter and Chemical Reactions II', before they can enroll for 'Biochemistry'. Students bachelor physics and astronomy must have followed 'Chemistry: Structure of Matter and Chemical Reactions I', before they can enroll for 'Biochemistry'.

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences

Department

Bio-Engineering Sciences

Educational team

Jan Steyaert (course titular)
Laila Maes

Activities and contact hours

39 contact hours Lecture
39 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals

Course Content

This Biochemistry course provides an introduction to the molecular design of life. First, we describe the molecular structure of nucleic acids, proteins and explain replication, transcription and translation. Next we discribe biological membranes.

In a second part, we focus on the structure-function relation of proteins: Enzymatic activity (Lysozyme, RNase A, Chymotrypsine, ...), Coöperativity (Hemoglobine en ATCase), enzyme regulation and protein folding.

The last part of the course describes the metabolismof living animals including the key anabolic and catabolic patways (glycolysis, Krebbs cycle, oxidative fosforylation, glycogen metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, pentose phosphate patway, gluconeogenesis).

For the bio-engineers we also teach the metabolism of aminoacids and nucleic acids

Course material

Handbook (Required) : Biochemistry, Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko and Lubert Stryer, 9de, Freeman / Macmillan, 9781319498504, 2023
Digital course material (Recommended) : De cursus wordt gedoceerd door gebruik van powerpoint slides

Additional info

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

Aim of the course

The students have a conceptual insight in the molecular basis of life. If possible, we teach these concepts using experimental results to train the students with the experimental approaches of the molecular biologist, biophysist, geneticist, ...

Troughout the course we aim at integrating the different subjects of the program. For example, ATCase, a key enzyme in the metabolism of nucleotides is also used as an example to describe the allosteric feedback regulation of enzymes.

Competences aimed at

The students shoud be able to:

Draw the structure of the key biological molecules
to describe the molecular forces that define the structure and the interactions between biomolecules and drive metabolism
understand the flow of information (replication, transcription and translation)
Can describe the structure-function relations of biological macromolecules (DNA, proteins,...) by using real examples.
Can describe the most important anabolic and catabolic pathways and integrate them in a broader metabolic network.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

mondeling examen with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Note: Het examen wordt schriftelijke voorbereid en mondeling afgenomen.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context