Calendar

SES # TOPICS KEY DATES
1 Introduction to Class
  1. Introduction to Class; Objectives, Format, Schedule, Student Introductions
  2. Features of the Universe of known Protein Sequences and Structures
  3. The Anfinsen Experiments
  
2 Protein Conformation Review
  1. Fibrous Proteins
  2. Pauling-corey α-helix
  3. Helix / helix Packing in Globular Proteins; Helix / Helix Packing in Coiled Coils
  4. Amino Acid Sequence Control of Helicity; Helix Start and Stop Signals
 Assignment 1 due
3 β-sheet Conformations
  1. β-sheet Conformations
  2. Sheet / Sheet Packing in Parallel β-sheets
  3. In Orthogonal β-sheets
  4. β-helices
 Assignment 2 due
4 Critical Features of in Vitro Refolding Reactions
  1. Failure of Refolding and Off-pathway Aggregation
  2. Industrial Scale Refolding in the Biotechnology Industry
 Assignment 3 due
5 Structure and Function of Double Barrel Chaperonins
  1. I. Prokaryotic GroE / L, Archael Mm-Cpn, and Eukaryotic TRiC
  2. Temperature Sensitive Folding Mutants
 Assignment 4 due
6

Amyloid Fibers and Neurodegenerative Disease

In-Class Guest Lecturer: Prof. Peter Lansbury, Harvard Medical School, "Synuclein as a Therapeutic Target for Parkinson's Disease: Twenty Years and Counting."

 Assignment 5 due
7 Collagen Folding and Assembly
  1. Collagen Triple Helix
  2. Forces that Stabilize
  3. Collagen-based Birth Defects
 Assignment 6 due
8 Protein Deposition Diseases: Light Chain Amyloidosis, Alzheimers, Parkinson's, Huntington's, ALS and Others

In-Class Guest Lecturer: Dr. Kelly Knee, Pfizer, Cambridge, "Sickle Cell Hemoglobin."

Assignment 7 due
9 Prions and Functional Amyloids  
10 Membrane Proteins
  1. Domain-swapping, Loop-sheet Insertion, and Other Pathways for Protein Aggregation / Polymerization
  
11 Chaperones
  1. Ribosome Tunnel, Trigger Factor, HSP 40, HSP 70 and HSP 90 Chaperones
  2. ER Chaperones
  3. Proteasome and Degradation Pathways
  
12 Student Paper Presentations
  1. Introduction to Class; Objectives, Format, Schedule, Student Introductions
  2. ALS
  3. DNAK / Trigger Factor
  
13 Student Paper Presentations
  1. Light Chain Amyloidosis
  2. Parkinsons
  
14 Student Paper Presentations
  1. Alzheimers
 Final Papers due