Graduate Courses for Biochemistry (BCHM)

Schedule of Classes: Fall | Winter | Spring | Summer
(Only current and next semester available)

BCHM 461 Biochemistry I (3 credits)
Prerequisite: {CHEM271 and CHEM272} or {CHEM276 and CHEM277} or {CHEM113 and CHEM241 and CHEM242}. A grade of C (2.0) or better is required in all prerequisites. Not open to students who have completed BCHM261 or BCHM463. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: BCHM261, BCHM461, or BCHM463.
First semester of a comprehensive introduction to modern biochemistry. Structure, chemical properties, and function of proteins and enzymes, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids. Basic enzyme kinetics and catalytic mechanisms.

BCHM 462 Biochemistry II (3 credits)
Prerequisite: BCHM461. A grade of C or better in the prerequisite is required for Life Science majors and recommended for all students. Not open to students who have completed BCHM463. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: BCHM462 or BCHM463.
A continuation of BCHM 461. Metabolic pathways and metabolic regulation, energy transduction in biological systems, enzyme catalytic mechanisms.

BCHM 463 Biochemistry of Physiology (3 credits)
Prerequisite: {CHEM271 and CHEM272} or {CHEM276 and CHEM277} or {CHEM113 and CHEM241 and CHEM242}. A grade of C (2.0) or better is required in all prerequisites. Not open to students who have completed BCHM461 or BCHM462. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: BCHM463 or {BCHM461 or BCHM462}.
A one-semester introduction to general biochemistry. A study of protein structure, enzyme catalysis, metabolism, and metabolic regulation with respect to their relationship to physiology.

BCHM 464 Biochemistry Laboratory (3 credits)
One hour of lecture and five hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite: BCHM461 or BCHM463. A grade of C or better in the prerequisite is required for Life Science majors and recommended for all students. Corequisite: BCHM465. BCHM, CHEM and Nutritional Sciences majors have first priority, followed by other life science majors.
Biochemical and genetic methods for studying protein function. Site-directed mutagenesis and molecular cloning, protein purification, enzyme activity assays, computer modeling of protein structure.

BCHM 465 Biochemistry III (3 credits)
Prerequisite: BCHM461 or BCHM463. A grade of C or better in the prerequisite is required for Life Science majors and recommended for all students. Corequisite: BCHM464. Recommended: BCHM462.
CORE Capstone (CS) Course. An advanced course in biochemistry. Biochemical approach to cellular information processing. DNA and RNA structure. DNA replication, transcription, and repair. Translation of mRNA to make proteins.

BCHM 485 Physical Biochemistry (3 credits)
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better is required in CHEM481. For BCHM majors only. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: CHEM482 or BCHM485.
The application of physical chemistry to biological systems. Principal topics: statistical mechanics, transport processes in liquid phase, chemical and biochemical kinetics, modeling and simulation, polymer dynamics.

BCHM 668 Special Problems in Biochemistry (2-4 credits)
Prerequisite: BCHM 464 or equivalent.

BCHM 669 Special Topics in Biochemistry (1-3 credits)
Prerequisite: BCHM 462 or equivalent.

BCHM 671 Protein Chemistry and Enzymic Catalysis (3 credits)
Prerequisite: BCHM 416 or equivalent.
Principles of protein structure, folding, and function, experimental characterization of structure, active sites, enzyme mechanisms and kinetics.

BCHM 673 Regulation of Metabolism (3 credits)
Prerequisite: BCHM 462 or BCHM 463 or equivalent.
Intracellular milieu, compartmentation, metabolic and enzymic approaches to identifying control points, regulation by covalent modification of enzymes, metabolic disorders.

BCHM 674 Nucleic Acids (3 credits)
Prerequisite: BSCI 410 or equivalent.
Chemistry of nucleotides and polynucleotides, sequencing and organization of genomes, experimental methods. DNA replication, repair, and recombination. RNA synthesis and processing, regulation of gene expression.

BCHM 675 Biophysical Chemistry (3 credits)
Prerequisites: BCHM 461 and CHEM 481 or equivalent.
Conformation, shape, structure, conformational changes, dynamics and interactions of biological macromolecules and complexes or arrays of macromolecules. Physical techniques for studying properties of biological macromolecules.

BCHM 676 Biological Mass Spectrometry (3 credits)
Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisite: BCHM461 or BCHM463. Formerly BCHM669B.
Fundamentals of modern mass spectrometry and use with biochemical techniques to provide unique analyses of drug metabolites, lipids, carbohydrates, nucleotides and proteins. The interface with bioinformatics will be examined, which provides the foundation of proteomics.

BCHM 698 Literature Seminar in Biochemistry (1 credits)
Students will prepare and present a departmental seminar based on a topic in the current biochemical research literature.

BCHM 699 Special Problems in Biochemistry (1-6 credits)
Prerequisite: one semester of graduate study in biochemistry. Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs.
Laboratory experience in a research environment. Restricted to students in the non-thesis M.S. option.

BCHM 799 Master's Thesis Research (1-6 credits)

BCHM 889 Seminar (1-3 credits)

BCHM 898 Pre-Candidacy Research (1-8 credits)

BCHM 899 Doctoral Dissertation Research (1-8 credits)