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Title Principles of nucleic acid structure
Course number 2948
Programme Utveckling och regeneration (DevReg)
Language English
Credits 3.0
Date 2019-05-13 -- 2019-05-24
Responsible KI department Institutionen för biovetenskaper och näringslära
Specific entry requirements
Purpose of the course The purpose of the course is to provide participants a good and up-to-date knowledge of DNA and RNA structural biology, to stimulate the curiosity and to inspire their own research in the field such as RNA/DNA biology, biotechnology and DNA/RNA therapeutics. To deeply understand how molecules work, detailed knowledge of their structures is necessary. The course aims also to help to practice key academic skills, such as learning from scientific presentations and literature, providing constructive criticism and presenting scientific data in oral/written form.
Intended learning outcomes After the course, the students should be familiar with the principles regulating DNA/RNA structures and with the techniques used to provide DNA/RNA structural information.
Furthermore, the students should have acquired the capacity to visualize three DNA/RNA dimensional structure and to identify the relation between structure and function
Contents of the course A general introduction to nucleic acids nomenclature.
Structural and conformational features of nucleotides.
Physical properties. Hydrogen bonding and base stacking.
Water and nucleic acid. Metal ion and nucleic acid.
Secondary and tertiary structures of DNA and RNA and techniques to determine structures and dynamics of DNA and
RNA systems (such as x-ray crystallography, NMR, theoretical approaches and so on)
General consideration on protein-nucleic acid interactions, DNA super-helix,
higher order nucleic acid structure.
Last advances in DNA/RNA structural field.
Teaching and learning activities The course consists of lectures, computer tutorial, short presentations by the students and seminars from national and international experts. The participants are involved in-class (individual and group) activities.
The students should integrate each lectures hour with homework.

Compulsory elements The compulsory parts of the course are the lectures, computer tutorial and the seminars.
Absence will be compensated with extra assignments. The students will get some key questions on the corresponding lecture topic, and the answers should be submit in written form for review and approval.
Examination Written exam, graphical and oral presentation on a selected topic
Literature and other teaching material Recommended books:
-Nucleic Acids: Structures, Properties, and Functions
by V. A. Bloomfield, D. M. Crothers and I. Tinoco
-Principles of Nucleic Acid Structure
by Stephen Neidle
Number of students 10 - 20
Selection of students Selection will be based on 1) the relevance of the course syllabus for the applicant's doctoral project (according to written motivation), 2) date for registration as a doctoral student (priority given to earlier registration date)
More information The course starts with some individual activities. Lectures and tutorial will be held from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 16:00 at Flemingsberg campus during week 20 (13/5-17/5). Individual and small group activities, oral presentation and written exam will be held during week 21.
Additional course leader
Latest course evaluation Course evaluation report
Course responsible Alessandra Villa
Institutionen för biovetenskaper och näringslära
+46-8-524 81081
Alessandra.Villa@ki.se

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