Metabolic Biochemistry
Biochemical energetics, kinetic regulation of metabolic pathways. Carbon metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins; nitrogen metabolism.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; labs, 3 hours per week for six weeks.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 8.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite: BIOL 2F01 and one credit from CHEM 2P20, 2P21, 2P22, or permission of the instructor.
Proteins and Enzymes
Primary-, secondary-, tertiary-, and quaternary-protein structure; protein function and physical chemistry; protein structure and enzyme activity. Enzyme mechanisms and kinetics; allostery and control; membrane-bound enzymes; multi-enzyme systems.
Lectures, seminar, simulations, 3 hours per week; lab, 3 hours per week for six weeks.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 8.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite: BIOL 2F01.
Special Topics in Biochemistry
(also offered as BIOL 3V90-3V99)
Selected issues in Biology on the basis of faculty expertise.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 8.0 overall credits and permission of the Chair.
Note: under certain circumstances, a student may carry out, under faculty supervision, a detailed study of the scientific literature pertinent to a specific topic. The results of this study will be presented as a major essay and as a formal seminar.
Plant Biochemistry: Membrane Transport
Ion-transporting ATPases, ion channels and ion-coupled transport at the plasma membrane and tonoplast. Cell transport and signaling cascades; Ca2+ and phospholipid mediated signaling.
Lectures or seminar, 2 hours per week.
Restriction: students must have either a minimum of 14.0 overall credits or approval to year 4 (honours).
Prerequisite: BCHM 3P01 or 3P02 or permission of the instructor.
Current Topics in Photobiology
(also offered as BIOL 4P03)
The interaction of light with biological molecules. Effects of ultraviolet radiation, photosynthesis, vision and photoregulation of genes and proteins.
Lectures, seminar, lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: students must have either a minimum of 14.0 overall credits or approval to year 4 (honours).
Prerequisite: any year 3 BCHM credit or permission of the instructor.
Bioenergetics
Energy conservation and use in the cell; thermodynamics of oxidative phosphorylation; chemical and chemiosmotic energy stores; mitochondrial, chloroplast and bacterial phosphorylation; growth and whole organism energetics; Elsden's and Kleiber's laws.
Lectures, seminar, 2 hours per week.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 14.0 overall credits or approval to year 4.
Prerequisites: BCHM 3P01 and 3P02 or permission of the instructor.
Bioinformatics
(also offered as BIOL 4P06 and BTEC 4P06)
Genome sequencing projects, gene discovery and gene expression. DNA/RNA/Protein sequence data, including mutagenic processes, molecular evolution and systematics, codon usage, reconstruction of ancient molecules, and prediction of higher-level molecular structure.
Lectures, seminar, 2 hours per week.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 14.0 overall credits or approval to year 4 (honours).
Prerequisites: BCHM 3P02, BIOL 3P50, 3P80 and MATH 1P98 or permission of the instructor.
Topics in Plant and Microbial Biotechnology
(also offered as BTEC 4P08)
Illustrative cases from the current literature to show how specific biochemical processes or structures may be characterized, and how molecular manipulation allows genetic modification of such processes and structures to meet scientific and/or societal needs. Examples include yeast and microbial enzymes or enzyme systems as well as crop proteins and enzymes.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 14.0 overall credits or approval to year 4.
Prerequisite: one of BCHM 3P01, BCHM 3P02, BIOL 3P50, CHEM 3P63 or permission of the instructor.
Biophysical Techniques
(also offered as BTEC 4P67 and CHEM 4P67)
Modern instrumental methods of biotechnology, emphasizing underlying theory. Development of newer technologies which utilize biological components. Topics include optical, X-ray, and NMR techniques, separation techniques, hybridization assays, immunoassays, biosensors and mass spectral techniques; membrane chemistry.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisites: CHEM 2P21 and 2P63 or permission of the instructor.