Course Identification
Nucleic acids structure and function
Lecturers and Teaching Assistants
Dr. Shirley Daube
Dr. Meta Heidenreich
Course Schedule and Location
Second Semester
Wednesday, 11:15 - 13:00, WSoS, Rm A
21/03/2018
Field of Study, Course Type and Credit Points
Chemical Sciences: Lecture; Elective; Core; 3.00 points
Comments
(1) The courses that are attended by less than 4 students will be cancelled
(2) Cluster - Bio-related
Prerequisites
- Basic Thermodynamics
- Basic Reaction Kinetics
- Basic Organic chemistry
Attendance and participation
Required in at least 80% of the lectures
Estimated Weekly Independent Workload (in hours)
Syllabus
- The discovery of DNA
- DNA and RNA structures
- Physical properties of nucleic acids
- Analytical methods for nucleic acids characterization
- DNA binding by drugs and proteins
- DNA synthesis
- DNA transactions: replication; transcription; mutagenesis; repair.
- DNA supercoiling and packaging
- RNA - structure and function
- DNA in nanotechnology and medicine.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course students should be able to:
- Recognize and appreciate the structural parameters and chemical properties of nucleic acids and how these affect their biological function.
- Know common techniques that are used to characterize, synthesize and purify nucleic acids.
- Be able to critically read and review current literature involving chemical and biochemical aspects of nucleic acids.