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Friday
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Saturday
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27
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28
Subject:
Description: MOLECULAR MODELING WORKSHOP
Cost: FREE
Lecture: Friday, September 25th, 6PM-9PM, Rm. 2104 Chemistry
Hands-on exercise session times (Rm. 2109 Chemistry):
Monday, September 28th, 9AM-12PM
Monday, September 28th, 2-5PM
Tuesday, September 29th, 9AM-12PM
Tuesday, September 29th, 2-5PM
Pre-requisite: Completion of the UNIX/Linux workshop (lecture and lab)
OR a background in UNIX/Linux.
You must attend the lecture to attend the lab session.
The next Molecular Modeling Workshop will be offered in the Spring of 2010,
UNIX/Linux Workshop in the Spring of 2010, and Quantum Short Course in the Fall 2009
Registration is required and is available at http://www.chem.tamu.edu/LMS/
REGISTRATION IS LIMITED SO, REGISTER EARLY!!!!!
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29
Subject:
Description: MOLECULAR MODELING WORKSHOP
Cost: FREE
Lecture: Friday, September 25th, 6PM-9PM, Rm. 2104 Chemistry
Hands-on exercise session times (Rm. 2109 Chemistry):
Monday, September 28th, 9AM-12PM
Monday, September 28th, 2-5PM
Tuesday, September 29th, 9AM-12PM
Tuesday, September 29th, 2-5PM
Pre-requisite: Completion of the UNIX/Linux workshop (lecture and lab)
OR a background in UNIX/Linux.
You must attend the lecture to attend the lab session.
The next Molecular Modeling Workshop will be offered in the Spring of 2010,
UNIX/Linux Workshop in the Spring of 2010, and Quantum Short Course in the Fall 2009
Registration is required and is available at http://www.chem.tamu.edu/LMS/
REGISTRATION IS LIMITED SO, REGISTER EARLY!!!!!
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30
Subject:
Description: The Quantum Mechanics short course is only offered once per year in the Fall.
Pre-Requisites: Completion of the Unix Workshop or a background in unix.
A Unix workshop will be offered on September 4th, 2009 and registration is now available.
The quantum mechanics short course is designed to teach the student how to
use the quantum chemistry code Gaussian 03 to model small to medium size
molecule (up to approx. 100-200 atoms) and the theory behind the
calculations. This course is NOT for university credit.
Subject:
Description: Abstract
Delivering nucleic acid-based therapeutics into target cells specifically is a considerable challenge. Using concepts and tools from virology, protein engineering, and molecular biology, we are interested in developing virus-based gene delivery vectors to tackle this challenge in an innovative way. In the first application, we are focused on utilizing virus-based gene delivery vectors for tissue engineering/regenerative medicine.
A significant hurdle in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is the difficulty in achieving spatially organized tissue structures. To drive the proper hierarchical differentiation and assembly of cells, gene expression patterns may need to be tightly regulated. This may entail the expression of certain genes, involved in tissue genesis or repair, to be upregulated or downregulated in a spatially dependent manner. We are working towards leveraging the unique advantages of virus-based gene delivery systems to achieve this goal.
In a second application, we are building a toolkit of innovative virus nanoparticles that can deliver nucleic acids specifically into breast cancer cells. In particular, we are using advances in protein engineering to develop viruses that are activated by tumor-specific biomolecular inputs.
Overall, such sophisticated gene delivery vectors should yield improvements in the control and efficiency of nucleic acid delivery and lead to enhanced therapeutic outcomes.
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7
Subject:
Description: The Quantum Mechanics short course is only offered once per year in the Fall.
Pre-Requisites: Completion of the Unix Workshop or a background in unix.
A Unix workshop will be offered on September 4th, 2009 and registration is now available.
The quantum mechanics short course is designed to teach the student how to
use the quantum chemistry code Gaussian 03 to model small to medium size
molecule (up to approx. 100-200 atoms) and the theory behind the
calculations. This course is NOT for university credit.
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8
Subject:
Description: He will be speaking on how to analyze large volumes of ultrastructural data of neuronal circuits.
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9
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10
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11
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12
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13
Subject:
Description: New pioneers in emerging interdisciplinary research areas face many challenges and have many new opportunities for breakthroughs. Therefore, our academic community can benefit from scholars who have traversed similar paths. Dr. Stephanie Pfirman
(http://www.barnard.edu/envsci/dept/pfirman/pfirman.html) has both practiced interdisciplinary research in her studies on the Arctic and written about its philosophy and practice. Dr. Pfirman will share her insights to support interdisciplinary scholars at Texas A&M University in their own ground-breaking initiatives.
Subject:
Description: Advances in the biosciences, bioengineering, and public health are responsible for dramatic gains in life expectancy achieved over the last century. Yet, the majority of the world has not benefited from this scientific progress. Sustainable and scalable innovations to prevent disease in vulnerable populations are needed. This talk will describe efforts to integrate advances in bioengineering research and education with implementation policy to develop new approaches to prevent cancer in low resource settings.
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14
Subject:
Description: The Quantum Mechanics short course is only offered once per year in the Fall.
Pre-Requisites: Completion of the Unix Workshop or a background in unix.
A Unix workshop will be offered on September 4th, 2009 and registration is now available.
The quantum mechanics short course is designed to teach the student how to
use the quantum chemistry code Gaussian 03 to model small to medium size
molecule (up to approx. 100-200 atoms) and the theory behind the
calculations. This course is NOT for university credit.
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17
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18
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19
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20
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21
Subject:
Description: The Quantum Mechanics short course is only offered once per year in the Fall.
Pre-Requisites: Completion of the Unix Workshop or a background in unix.
A Unix workshop will be offered on September 4th, 2009 and registration is now available.
The quantum mechanics short course is designed to teach the student how to
use the quantum chemistry code Gaussian 03 to model small to medium size
molecule (up to approx. 100-200 atoms) and the theory behind the
calculations. This course is NOT for university credit.
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22
Subject:
Description: One of the key revelations to arise from the large-scale sequencing of bacterial genomic DNA is that traditional approaches used for the discovery of natural products only provide functional access to a small fraction of the natural product biosynthetic gene clusters present in nature. The sequencing of DNA extracted directly from soil samples indicates that as yet uncultured soil microbes outnumber their cultured counterparts by at least two to three orders of magnitude. This uncultured majority no doubt produces secondary metabolites that could serve as molecular probes of biological processes and therapeutic agents. Uncultivated microorganisms are a very attractive source of potentially new natural products, but they are not amenable to the traditional approaches used to characterize natural products from microbes grown in pure culture. Although there appears to be no easy way to culture this collection of unstudied microorganisms, it is possible to isolate large fragments of microbial DNA directly from environmental samples and clone this DNA into model bacterial systems in the lab. We are using both functional and sequence-based screening strategies to access natural products from large environmental DNA libraries. New metabolites and biosynthetic enzymes discovered using these approaches will be discussed.
Subject:
Description: Spinosyns are polyketide‐derived macrolides produced by Saccharopolyspora spinosa. They exhibit excellent insecticidal activity with low mammalian toxicity and little environmental impact. Structurally, the spinosyns consist of a 22‐membered macrolactone ring fused to a perhydro‐as‐indacene core scaffold. In addition, they are glycosylated with tri‐O‐methylrhamnose and a highly deoxygenated forosamine at C‐9 and C‐17, respectively. Structure-activity studies have shown that both forosamine and 2,3,4-tri-O-methyl-L-rhamnose moieties of spinosyns are critical for their insecticidal activities. The aglycone portion of spinosyns is unusual among polyketide‐derived secondary metabolites due to the presence of three intramolecular carbon‐carbon bonds that constitute the as‐indacene skeleton. The unusual nature of the spinosyn aglycone suggests an intriguing biosynthetic pathway. Intrigued by the complexity of the forosamine and the tetracyclic nucleus of the spinosyns, we have studied the biosynthesis of spinosyns in S. spinosa. The recent progress of this effort will be presented.
Subject:
Description: Peptide-based antibiotics in the thiostrepton and thiocillin familes, produced by several species of gram-positive bacteria, target the 50S ribosomal subunit and selectively block bacterial protein synthesis. These antibiotics have a central piperidine/pyridine core decorated with up to three thiazole rings. The clinical use of this family of antibiotics is limited by poor aqueous solubility and unfavorable pharmacokinetics. This lecture will discuss the biosynthetic gene cluster for thiocillins, including ribosomal production of a 50 residue prepeptide and its posttranslational modification (PTM) to convert 13 of the last 14 residues to the thiocillin scaffold. Generation of a knockout of the prepeptide structural gene allows evaluation of the promiscuity of the PTM enzymes to generate thiocillin variants.
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25
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26
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27
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28
Subject:
Description: The Quantum Mechanics short course is only offered once per year in the Fall.
Pre-Requisites: Completion of the Unix Workshop or a background in unix.
A Unix workshop will be offered on September 4th, 2009 and registration is now available.
The quantum mechanics short course is designed to teach the student how to
use the quantum chemistry code Gaussian 03 to model small to medium size
molecule (up to approx. 100-200 atoms) and the theory behind the
calculations. This course is NOT for university credit.
Subject:
Description: Research in the Harlow laboratory focuses on the structural organization of macromolecules responsible for neurotransmitter secretion during synaptic transmission. Synaptic transmission regulates virtually all aspects of animal behavior; consequently, there is considerable interest in the underlying mechanisms. My previous research concerned dense aggregates of macromolecules that play an important role in synaptic transmission at chemical synapses, and the relationship of these aggregates to synaptic vesicles (SV). These aggregates, referred to as active zone material (AZM), stud the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane in the presynaptic neuron just opposite the postsynaptic cell, and are situated next to releasable SVs docked on the presynaptic membrane and calcium channels concentrated within the membrane. Because the components of AZM are composed of macromolecules, they can only be visualized in situ using the electron microscope. I employed a technique called electron tomography (ET) to study the 3D structure of AZM at the highest resolution possible.
Although AZM was first detected more than 50 years ago, its structure and function have not been elucidated. Hypotheses as to the role AZM plays in synaptic transmission have included: a site of adhesion for pre- and post‐synaptic cells; a synaptic vesicle adhesion site; and a macromolecular complex directly involved in vesicle fusion. As a step toward making direct tests of these hypotheses, I characterized the structure of a subset of the AZM and its relationship to docked vesicles and the adjacent region of the presynaptic membrane that contains calcium channels. Specifically, I used ET to generate 3D reconstructions of tissue sections to determine the structure of specific components of the AZM and their spatial relationships at the frog’s neuromuscular junction, a model synapse. My results provide compelling evidence that the active zone material at the frog’s neuromuscular junction helps dock SVs and anchor calcium channels and that the architecture of the material provides for both a
particular spatial relationship and a structural linkage between the vesicles and the channels.
My current research project involves the study of SVs and their relationship to the AZM. In samples prepared under classic conditions, the lumens of SVs appear empty. However, numerous filaments can be seen in vesicles prepared by rapid freezing and cryo‐staining, with the filaments occupying approximately 10 percent of the lumen’s volume. These filaments, many of which are likely luminal domains of SV proteins, may help tether synaptic vesicle proteins together during vesicle recycling, and could play a role in vesicle protein organization. Indeed, the arrangement of filaments inside each vesicle appears to be constant from vesicle to vesicle, with differing orientations for docked and undocked vesicles. This raises the possibility that, much like the AZM, each vesicle contains a highly organized arrangement of proteins. In order for synaptic transmission to occur, these luminal structures may need to be in a specific orientation so that vesicle proteins can precisely align with the AZM.
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31
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Molecular Modeling Workshop: Lecture Sept 25, Hands-on Lab Sept 28-29