Introduction to Molecular Biology for Computer Scientists

Course provider:	University of Leeds
Course contact:	Andrew Booth (a.g.booth@leeds.ac.uk)
Summary:	This module aims to provide a good basic understanding of contemporary molecular biology to students with a background in one of the physical sciences and with sufficient knowledge of organic chemistry to be able to recognize the common functional groups and their properties. Current concepts will be presented and issues of debate will be highlighted. It will provide a sound basis for further study of Bioinformatics.
Syllabus:	On completion of this module, students should be able to: describe the atomic interactions found in biological molecules and understand the concept of chirality; describe the structures of amino acids, peptides and proteins; explain the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures of proteins; interpret computer representations of protein structures; give examples of structure-function relationships in proteins; describe the structure of DNA and RNA and describe DNA replication; describe (in outline) transcription, translation, the Genetic Code and protein synthesis; explain how proteins are purified and sequenced; describe how mass spectroscopy is used to study protein structure; describe the principles behind gene cloning and DNA sequencing; describe the polymerase chain reaction and some of its applications; explain how structural information is held in some of the commonly used databases.
Further details:	Assessment methods: Contribution to in-course discussions 25% Programming project 75%
Technical requirements:	This module is delivered entirely via the internet, so a reliable internet commection is essential. You will need access to a PC running a recent version of Microsoft Windows (preferably Windows XP or Windows 2000), with a screen resolution of 1024 x 768. During the course you will be required to download and install progams and plug-ins which only run under Windows, so no other operating system will be supported. The recommended textbooks will be supplied in an on-line form which will require Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.5 or above. The on-line versions of the recommended textbooks will be fully accessible to the JAWS screen reader and a customized dictionary for JAWS is being developed.. No browser other than Microsoft Internet Explorer is currently recommended for this module. In addition to Microsoft Internet Explorer, you will need to download and install the following plug-ins: Adobe SVG Viewer. MDL Chemscape Chime Sun Java plug-in (version depends on Windows version)
References:	The recommended textbooks, which will be available in an on-line form are: Instant Notes in Biochemistry, 2nd Edition B. D. Hames and N. M. Hooper BIOS Sciences Publishers, 2000 ISBN 0387916024 Instant Notes in Molecular Biology, 2nd Edition P.C.C. Turner, A.G. McLennan, A.D. Bates and M.R.H. White BIOS Sciences Publishers, 2000 ISBN 0387916016

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