Description
'Proteins - Structure and Function'
Proteins are the most versatile macromolecules in living systems and serve crucial functions in essentially all biological processes. They function as catalysts, transport and store other molecules such as oxygen, provide mechanical support and immune protection, generate movement, transmit nerve impulses, and control growth and differentiation.
As the function of proteins is determined by their structure, structural biology is the key to understand the structure-function relationship of proteins. In my lecture, I will briefly introduce basic principles that determine the structure of proteins as well as experimental techniques that can be used to study protein structure. Selected examples will be used to illustrate the role of protein dynamics, conformational changes and protein-protein interactions in various physiological processes.
In the second part of the lecture series I will focus on membrane proteins and explain their special characteristics. Structure and function of different classes of integral membrane proteins will be introduced and discussed in relation to the biochemical/physiological processes they are involved in.
