KJM9350 ¨C Protein Crystallography

Course content

KJM9350 gives a thorough introduction to protein crystallography, the most powerful method to study protein structures and biomolecular complexes. The method will be studied in theory and practice, giving a solid foundation for a PhD project in the subject. The course shall also enable participants to read and judge modern literature in the field.

Learning outcome

After completing the course:

• you have fundamental understanding of protein crystallography
• you know important terms and concepts like symmetry, space groups, crystals and crystallization, diffraction, Bragg?s law, phase problem, Fourier synthesis and Fourier analysis, structure determination by multiple isomorphous replacement (MIR), multiple anomalous dispersion (MAD) and molecular replacement (MR), Patterson function, Patterson maps and electron density maps, refinement and validation.
• you gain practical experience related to protein structure determination by X-ray crystallography
• you get insight into complementary methods for macromolecular structure determination, such as cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy
• you can carry our relevant database searches
• you can read, understand and judge a crystallographic publication

Admission to the course

PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through?Studentweb.

If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to PhD candidates who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included. Some national researchers¡¯ schools may have specific rules for ranking applicants for courses with limited intake capacity.

PhD candidates who have been admitted to another higher education institution must?apply for a position as a visiting student?within a given deadline.

Recommended previous knowledge

Basic knowledge of proteins and proficiency in mathematics is recommended.

Overlapping courses

• 10 credits overlap with KJM4350 ¨C Protein Crystallography.
• 10 credits overlap with KJM3350 ¨C Protein crystallography (discontinued).

Teaching

The course duration is one semester. The teaching consists of:

• 27 hours of lectures
• 30 hours of compulsory theoretical exercises and discussion session
• 8 hours of compulsory laboratory practicals and
• a compulsory literature task that students are to present orally as well as in writing.

To attend the exam, you must have been present at all compulsory activities, and the laboratory course and literature project have to be approved.

It is allowed to drop one of the following compulsory tasks: Patterson exercise, lab report, or written literature task.

A completed and approved laboratory course is valid for six semesters after the semester it was approved.

The first lecture is mandatory. If you are unable to join, you have to inform the Expedition Office in advance. If not, you will lose access to the course and to the examination.

Attendance at the laboratory course is mandatory, and must be approved before you can take the exam. If you are prevented from meeting, you have to show documentation that you were legally absent (medical note from a doctor or similar).

Examination

• Final oral exam which counts 100% towards the final grade.

To attend the exam, you must have been present at all compulsory activities, and the laboratory course and the literature project have to be approved.

It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to sit the exam for this course, if you sit the exam for one of the following courses: KJM4350 ¨C Protein Crystallography

Examination support material

No support material is allowed.

Language of examination

You can take the exam in a Scandinavian language or in English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.

Resit an examination

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a?postponed exam?at the beginning of the next semester.

New examinations?are offered at the beginning of the next semester for students who do not successfully complete the exam during the previous semester.

We do not offer a re-scheduled exam for students who withdraw during the exam.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.