MBB 222 Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

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MBB 222Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Dr. Don Sinclair Email dsinclai_at_sfu.ca
NOTE When E-mailing use MBB 222 in the
subject line Office SSB 6148 Office hours
Monday 1230-130 and Thursday 1030-1130, or by
appointment (best to email for appt.) Teaching
Assistant Cassandra Sullivan-Walker SSB
7166 Emailcasulliv_at_sfu.ca office hours Friday
1030-1130- in SSB 6176 (fishbowl )
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Grading
Quiz I 15 Assignments 5 (problem sets)
Midterm 30 Final 50
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Lecture Notes
To get a copy of the presented material
http//www.sfu.ca/mbb/mbb/undergraduate/lectures/
mbb222/mbb222.html
lecture notes will begin to be posted for
next class
Or follow the links through the MBB website
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Tutorials

• Will begin the week of September 9
• In tutorials you will review the material
  presented in lecture and have the opportunity to
  ask questions
• Problem sets will be handed back and discussed

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What is molecular biology?-term was coined in
1945 by W. Astbury the study of the chemical and
physical structure of biological macromolecules
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ModernMolecular Biology combines
Biochemistry
Cell Biology
Genetics
Now the focus is on Genomics and Structural
Biology
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Genomics a revolution in the making
First genome sequence of a complete organism
(bacterium) Mycoplasma genitalium, 1995 470
proteins
- Haemophilus influenza, first free-living
organism
First genome sequence of an archaeum
Methanococcus jannaschii, 1995 1,700 proteins
First genome sequence of a complete multicellular
organism Caenorhabditis elegans, 1998 18,000
proteins
Human genome sequence 2001 25-30,000 proteins
- second mammal, mouse genome (unpublished) -
others in line 100s of bacteria/archaea,
zebrafish, monkey?
- provides complete information about what makes
up an organism but we know the functions of
lt50 of all genes
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Structural genomics determine the DNA sequence
of all of the genes in a given genome and use
this to predict sequence and structure of protein
products ultimately, try to express the genes,
crystallize each protein and characterize its
structure (when combined with other techniques
e.g. mass spectrometry- this is sometimes called
proteomics)
Structural biologists have set their sights on
determining the structures of 10,000 different
proteins - but can easily take 1 year to solve
one structure... - must automate all of the
steps in crystallography
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Current Molecular Biology
Ultimate goals 1. sequence and compare as many
genomes as possible 2. determine the structures
of as many proteins as possible 3. functional
genomics- gene knockouts etc. determine the
functions of all genes/proteins start with
simpler model organisms (e.g., yeast, which has
6,200 proteins) - integrate this information
and apply in the context of cells and organisms,
i.e. understand how single-celled and
multicellular organisms function at the
biochemical level - structure/function
prediction we may never be able to determine the
structures or functions of all proteins in all
organisms
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Central Dogma

• DNA RNA (process) protein
• Most aspects of Molecular Biology will fit on
  this simple diagram