Syllabus

Module I: Laws of thermodynamics and its applications in biological processes Physicochemical property of water and its role in defining the structure and function of the biomacromolecules Different non-covalent interactions and their presence in different biomolecules and biological processes.
Module II: Monomers of different biomacromolecules and their physicochemical properties – amino acids, nucleotides, carbohydrates, phospholipids.
Module III: Biomacromolecules I – Protein structures (secondary structure, motifs, domains, tertiary and quaternary structures) protein folding (in vitro and in vivo), misfolding and aggregation problems proteostasis network post-translational modification (mainly glycation and its role in structure stability and function).
Module IV: Biomacromolecules II – Nucleic acids (Different structures attained by different arrangements of nucleotides) DNA denaturation/annealing Base catalyzed hydrolysis of RNA and pre-mRNA processing in eukaryotes.
Module V: Biomacromolecules III – Membranes (physicochemical property of lipids governing the permeable nature of membrane membrane transport/trafficking).

The main objective, in brief, of the course is to make the students understand different biomacromolecules’ structural stability and their functions in different biological processes, including certain disease conditions, like diabetes mellitus and Parkinson’s disease, where these processes go awry. Hence, the specific objectives of the course are to:
1. Understand different physicochemical properties of small molecules like water in the stability of biomolecular structure and its function,

2. Understand the role of different thermodynamic parameters in different biological phenomena, like protein folding, coupled metabolisms, etc.

3. Understand different non-covalent interactions and co-operativity in defining different structures to the same basic molecules, like rRNA,tRNA, A/B/Z-DNA, Hemoglobin/Myglobin, and its functions.

After completion of the course, the student will be able to:
1 Understand the thermodynamics of biological processes and the molecules involved in them,
2 Improvised the protocol as per the biomolecules by employing the information of its physicochemical properties, and
3 Adapt to understand the design behind small molecule-based inhibitor/drug formulation.

Pattabhi Vasantha, Biophysics, Biophysics, Narosa, New Delhi , ISBN-8173194622

Thomas E Creighton, Proteins (Structure and Molecular Properties), W H Freeman , ISBN-978-0716770305

Cotterill Rodney MJ, Biophysics: a introduction, John Wiley, , ISBN-9812530088

Jackson MB. ., Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, Cambridge University Press , ISBN-9780511754869