Uncovering protein-protein interactions through a team-based undergraduate biochemistry course.

Noah B. Bloch,Louise K. Charkoudian,Alexander E. Lafrance,Jeanne M. Quinn,Maryna Khromava,Robert Fairman,Joshua A. Bulos,David L. Cookmeyer,Kerilyn N. Godbe,Robert C. Parry,Christian Fagre ,Bashkim Kokona,Aurelio Mollo,Emily S. Winesett,Kathleen J. S. Tsai,Sabina Aliev,Max J. Cryle,Alana M. Thurston,Adam R. Huff,Daniel Konstantinovsky ,Alexandra J. Lamacki,Irene L. Evans

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2003145

Abstract

How can we provide fertile ground for students to simultaneously explore a breadth of foundational knowledge, develop cross-disciplinary problem-solving skills, gain resiliency, and learn to work as a member of a team? One way is to integrate original research in the context of an undergraduate biochemistry course. In this Community Page, we discuss the development and execution of an interdisciplinary and cross-departmental undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course. We present a template for how a similar course can be replicated at other institutions and provide pedagogical and research results from a sample module in which we challenged our students to study the binding interface between 2 important biosynthetic proteins. Finally, we address the community and invite others to join us in making a larger impact on undergraduate education and the field of biochemistry by coordinating efforts to integrate research and teaching across campuses.

Highlights

A call to action by the American Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) lists unifying teaching and research as the top challenge for faculty teaching biology [1]
According to an NSF-funded think tank, there is a particular need for the development -based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in protein biochemistry [2]
After establishing that all mutants exist in the monomeric state in solution, we evaluated the ability of PCP7sky to bind P450sky and access its heme core using sedimentation velocity experiments with an analytical ultracentrifuge (SV-AUC)

Summary

COMMUNITY PAGE

David L. Cookmeyer1‡, Emily S. Winesett1‡, Bashkim Kokona2, Adam R. Huff1, Sabina Aliev1‡, Noah B. Bloch2‡, Joshua A. Bulos1‡, Irene L. Evans1‡, Christian R. Fagre2‡, Kerilyn N. Godbe1‡, Maryna Khromava1‡, Daniel M. Konstantinovsky1‡, Alexander E. Lafrance2‡, Alexandra J. Lamacki1‡, Robert C. Parry1‡, Jeanne M. Quinn2‡, Alana M. Thurston1‡, Kathleen J. S. Tsai1‡, Aurelio Mollo1‡, Max J. Cryle3,4, Robert Fairman2*, Louise K. Charkoudian1*

OPEN ACCESS

Introduction

Many hands make light work

Findings

Supporting information