This course is an advanced treatment of biochemical mechanisms that underlie biological processes. Topics include macromolecular machines such as the ribosome, the proteasome, fatty acid synthases as a paradigm for polyketide synthases and non-ribosomal polypeptide synthases, and polymerases. Emphasis will be given to the experimental methods used to unravel how these processes fit into the cellular context as well as the coordinated regulation of these processes.

Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the functions proteins perform in the cell and in tissuesDiscuss the relationship between amino acids and proteinsExplain the four levels of protein organizationDescribe the ways in which protein shape and function are linked

This course is an introduction to computational biology emphasizing the fundamentals of nucleic acid and protein sequence and structural analysis; it also includes an introduction to the analysis of complex biological systems. Topics covered in the course include principles and methods used for sequence alignment, motif finding, structural modeling, structure prediction and network modeling, as well as currently emerging research areas.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Molecular signaling pathways are crucial for cellular function and communication. In order to work properly, the pathways must be sensitive, adaptable, and tunable to specific stimuli and situations. These essential qualities are made possible by intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). IDPs can’t fold into stable, defined structures on their own, but many IDPs can gain at least some structure when they bind with specific partners. These and other interactions change the IDPs’ conformations to enable specific and reversible binding, giving the signaling pathways the sensitivity and flexibility they need to function correctly. Algorithms and other computational tools can help identify IDPs and predict their functions. So far, such tools have revealed that IDPs are pervasive in all kingdoms of life. In addition, they’ve shown that IDPs help relay signals from diverse stimuli, such as ions, lipids, proteins, chemicals, and environmental cues in every category of cell signaling pathway and at every step..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This course covers amino acid sequence control of protein folding, misfolding, amyloid polymerization and aggregation. Readings and discussions address topics such as chaperone structure and function, folding and assembly of fibrous proteins, and pathologies associated with protein misfolding and aggregation in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and other protein deposition diseases. Students are required to write and present a research paper.

This course provides a foundation in the following four areas: evolutionary and population genetics; comparative genomics; structural genomics and proteomics; and functional genomics and regulation.

Statistical Physics in Biology is a survey of problems at the interface of statistical physics and modern biology. Topics include: bioinformatic methods for extracting information content of DNA; gene finding, sequence comparison, and phylogenetic trees; physical interactions responsible for structure of biopolymers; DNA double helix, secondary structure of RNA, and elements of protein folding; considerations of force, motion, and packaging; protein motors, membranes. We also look at collective behavior of biological elements, cellular networks, neural networks, and evolution.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"The microscopic tardigrade is one of the toughest known organisms in the animal kingdom, capable of surviving environmental extremes such as near-complete desiccation, freezing and high temperatures, and ionizing radiation. Exactly how these tiny creatures are able to withstand these stresses has remained largely a mystery. Now, research is showcasing the role of three protein families not found in other organisms, collectively referred to as tardigrade disordered proteins (TDPs). Unlike typical folded proteins, in solution many TDPs lack a stable 3D structure. This lack of structure may allow them to adopt different conformations under different environmental conditions. Although seemingly diverse, the stress conditions that tardigrades can tolerate are actually quite similar. Similarly to desiccation, freezing removes water from proteins and membranes, and irradiation induces genome damage like that observed during drying..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.