内容简介：
【简介】 The Department of Biochemistry (GRADE 5 RAE 2001) was established in 1961 under the headship of Professor Sir Hans Kornberg FRS and is a component department of the School of Biological Sciences within the Faculty of Medicine and biological Sciences. It has grown to be one of the largest and most successful departments at the University of Leicester and a leading Biochemistry Department in the UK, with a wide range of research interests and a commitment to excellent teaching at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The Department is housed together with the Departments of Genetics and Biology in the Adrian Building, which has excellent facilities and provides a stimulating environment for pursuing state-of-the-art biochemical research. The Department has a strong international reputation in many areas of biochemistry, recognised by the award of a grade 5 in the last Research Assessment Exercise. Research is concentrated in the following areas:
Biochemistry of Gene Expression Cell Regulation and Signalling Structural Biology and Molecular Enzymology
The Department offers graduates the opportunity to study by research for the degrees of MPhil, PhD, MD and MRes.
Major Facilities in the Department:
In addition to the normal equipment of a Biochemistry Department, there are extensive specialised facilities for research in structural, microbial and cell and molecular biology and enzymology.
The Biological NMR Centre : This centre, established in 1986, is superbly equipped for studies of macromolecular structure and interactions in solution. It has two 600MHz and one 500MHz NMR spectrometers, funded by BBSRC, the Wellcome Trust and JREI, which are equipped for all the modern multinuclear multidimensional experiments. Funding has recently been obtained from JIF for an 800 MHz spectrometer. The Centre has an international reputation in the biological applications of NMR spectroscopy, particularly in studies of enzyme structure and mechanism and protein-ligand interactions.
Macromolecular X-Ray Crystallography Laboratory : Excellent facilities for macromolecular crystallography were established in 1995 with support from the BBSRC and substantial investment by the University. The Laboratory has achieved international recognition by solving a number of novel and important structures, ranging from domains of the integrin family of cell adhesion molecules to the explosive-degrading enzyme PETN reductase. The laboratory's interests are wide and range from proteins involved in cell signalling and cellular adhesion to redox enzymes involved in drug action.
Molecular Enzymology Group : The Department has excellent facilities for aerobic and anaerobic transient kinetic studies, having four state-of-the-art stopped-flow rapid-mixing instruments with single wavelength fluorescence and absorbance detection and photodiode array detection. Temperature jump, pressure jump and rapid quench instruments are also available. Kinetic studies on the nanosecond timescale are also possible using a laser flash photolysis instrument. This instrument is used in studies using caged substrates and for initiating electron transfer reactions in proteins.
Transgenic Animal and ES Cell Facility : This facility was established in 1997 with support from the Wellcome Trust. The facility comprises a tissue culture suite with state-of-the-art equipment for culturing mouse embryonic stem cells and for generating ES cell lines with targeted genetic mutations. The facility works closely with the Transgenic Mouse Unit in the Division of Biomedical Services who are able to generate transgenic mouse lines from the targeted ES cells. The facility has an international reputation in the generation of knockout mouse lines, with a particular strength in the generation of knockouts for mouse genes involved in cell signalling and cell adhesion.
Address: Biochemistry Departmental Office Adrian Building University of Leicester University Road Leicester LE1 7RH United Kingdom
