This project gives biochemistry/molecular biology and chemistry students experience in modern protein/peptide synthesis and purification techniques as part of a two-semester laboratory sequence. The methods incorporated into the revision are fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC), peptide synthesis and high speed gradient centrifugation. In the first semester students learn all of the basic biochemical methods through a unified sequence of experiments on a single, well characterized protein, cytochrome c. The second-semester course allows students to use the techniques learned in a more independent exploration of biochemical problems. Students aid in the design, synthesis, isolation and characterization of a bioactive peptide. Throughout the sequence, students use modern methods of biochemical information retrieval and analysis in their projects. The ultimate goal of this course sequence is to bring advanced students to the point of being able to define a problem, assess what is currently known, adapt a published procedure, do related original work and summarize their results in a professional technical report.
