BCMB 402: PROTEIN CHEMISTRY II

Protein-ligand Interactions: Binding sites of haemoglobin and myoglobin, binding of oxygen and carbon monoxide, micro-environment of  the haem iron, the Hill Plot. Protein engineering.

Allostery: interaction between binding sites.  Theoretical models; the Mond-Wyman-Changeux (MWC) concerted mechanism, the Koshland-Nemethy-Filmer (KNF) sequential model.  Allosteric properties of haemoglobin; molecular mechanism of cooperative binding of oxygen to haemoglobin, the Bohr effect, binding of 2, 3-bisphosphoglycerate (BPG).

Mechanism of Enzyme Catalysis: General acid-base catalysis and covalent catalysis.  Catalysis by coenzymes; pyridoxal phosphate, thiamine pyrophosphate, ATP, coenzyme A, NAD(P)⁺ , FAD/FMN.  Structure and mechanism of action of selected enzymes.  Examples; dehydrogenases, proteases, ribonuclease, lysozyme, glycolytic enzymes such as phosphofructokinase (PFK).