Chem 406: Biophysical Chemistry, Fall 2006
Web Termpapers
Chem 406: Biophysical Chemistry, Fall 2006
Web Termpapers
One of the major themes developed in Chem 406 is the relationship between structure and function for biological macromolelcules. In the last 30 years there has been an explosion in the in the number of structures of biological molecules that have been determined at the atomic level. A visit to the Protein Data Bank, a national repository for these structures, shows that as of October 24, 2006, there are just under 40,000 structures in the data base, and a look at the growth rate in the number of structures in the data base suggests that we are currently in the a log-phase stage of growth.
The area of biology called structural genomics has as one of its goals the complete description of a living cell at the molecular level. Instead of just studying the structures of individual molecule, researchers are now studying the strutures of molecules as they come together to carry out their biological function. This year's Nobel Prize in chemistry was given to Roger Kornberg in recognition of the contributions that he and his colleagues have made to this endeavor. Specifically, they have provided us with a detailed picture of the process of transcription in eukaryotes at the atomic level. Kornberg first spent years developing a cell-free system that allowed him to identify each of the components needed for transcription, he then was able to crystallize and determine the atomic structure of these components. As an illustration of how fast-paced this area of biology is proceding, Kornberg's structures have only been published over the past 6 years; not much longer than most of you have spent pursuing your bachelors degree.