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Enzymology

Overview

  • Credit value: 15 credits at Level 6
  • Convenor: to be confirmed
  • Assessment: in-class problem sets (20%), a presentation on a case study (20%) and an end-of-module test (60%)

Module description

In this module we provide you with a strong foundation in the essential concepts needed to understand the roles of enzymes in biological systems, with relevance to medicine and biotechnology.

Indicative syllabus

  • Basic theory of catalysis, including catalytic strategies employed by enzymes
  • Enzyme assays and enzyme purification
  • Enzyme classification and selected examples of mechanisms of enzyme action
  • Coenzymes
  • Advanced enzyme kinetics
  • Experimental methods for studying enzyme kinetics and enzyme mechanisms
  • Enzyme inhibition and enzyme inhibitors as drugs
  • Enzymes in biotechnology

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • identify and discuss the main catalytic strategies employed by enzymes and explain the catalytic mechanisms of selected enzymes
  • identify a range of enzyme assay methods and explain how these can be applied in establishing the purity of an enzyme preparation as well as in studies of catalytic mechanism and/or enzyme inhibition
  • carry out relevant calculations with kinetic data and provide analyses of the results
  • understand experimental methods used to study enzymes and explain the information these methods provide
  • describe, with mechanistic detail, the functioning of various kinds of enzyme inhibitors and explain the utility of their applications in detailed studies of enzyme structure and function, as well as in biotechnology and medicine
  • provide detailed examinations of specific cases in medicine and biotechnology in which enzymes are critical to therapeutic applications or research goals.