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Educational and
professional goals:
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To develop better understanding of structure - functionality relationship in biological and biomimetic processes involving inorganic molecules, metal ions and their biological complexes.
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Course description:
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Metal ion complexes in biological systems. Types of metalloproteins: redox, hydrolytic, atom and group transfer enzymes. Activation and transport of dioxygen. Structure of the active site. Mechanism of reversible binding of dioxygen and cooperativity effects. Binding of carbon oxide to myoglobin and hemoglobin. Mechanism of biocatalyzed oxygen reduction. Overview of specific copper and iron enzymes, and their model compounds. Applications: biofuel cells and oxygen sensing. Biological nitrogen cycle: molybdenum-dependent nitrogen fixation, nitrification and denitrification processes. Nitrogenase - enzyme structure and mechanistic studies. Biologically relevant group transfer reactions. Reaction pathways involving cobalamins: vitamin and coenzyme B12. Model systems and role of apoenzyme. Metal ion uptake, transport in organisms and removal. Iron uptake by microorganisms: siderophores. Metal ion concentration gradients (ion-channels, voltage gated channels, ion pumps). Application of metal ion complexes in probing structure of nucleic acid. Medical applications of selected metal complexes: therapeutic compounds, diagnostic agents (MRI), and radionuclide complexes in nuclear medicine.
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