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KJB430 Protein redox chemistry

Credits (ECTS):4

Course responsible:Åsmund Røhr Kjendseth

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Engelsk, norsk

Limits of class size:10

Course frequency:Even years

Nominal workload:

A total of 120 hours:

  • Lectures: 5 h
  • Theoretical exercises: 12 h
  • Prectical exercises: 25 h
  • Self study: 78 h

The lectures and practical exercises are all given in one week.

Teaching and exam period:June

About this course

This course aims to provide students with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in biological redox chemistry. The plethora of different redox cofactors that assist complex chemistry in enzyme active sites include transition metal ions, organic molecules and amino acid side chains. Moreover, the protein scaffold modulates the functionality of these cofactors, for example are iron ions and flavin involved in both electron transfer processes and catalysis.

Redox active enzymes have a large potential to increase the sustainability of industrial processes by reducing pollution, improving waste treatment and facilitating the use of bioenergy.

The students will be trained in basic electrochemistry, enabling them to recognize and identify "standard" challenges that tend to appear when working with red-ox enzymes. The students should after completing the course be able to carry out initial red-ox enzyme characterizations independently and be familiar with further experimental opportunities.

Learning outcome

After completing the course the students should understand basic electrochemical theory and be familiar with protein bound cofactors that are involved in redox reactions. The students should also be able to experimentally determine what redox cofactor(s) that is present in a protein sample. Finally, the students should be able to design an experimental approach for characterizing a redox active protein with methods as UV-vis spectroscopy, voltammetry and stopped-flow. The student is able to perform the preparations, techniques and analyses employed in the course. The student masters the instruments and equipment used in the course.
  • Lectures, theoretical exercises and practical exercises.

  • Teachers will be available every day through the course period.

    Canvas - Learning Management System.

  • Master's degree including courses in:

    - General chemistry equivalent to KJM100

    - General biochemistry equivalent to KJB200 and KJB201

    - Experience from practical lab-work

  • Assignment (pass/failed).

    Assignement Grading: Passed / Not Passed

  • Internal examiners revise the final assignment and grade the exam (pass/failed).

    An external examiner approves the course's content and form of evaluation.

  • Lectures, theoretical exercises, practical exercises and a final report.
  • This is a one-week course in May / June 2026

  • One week including

    • 10 hours lectures
    • 12 hours theoretical exercises
    • 18 hours practical exercises
  • PhD students registered with BioCat (site.uit.no/biocat/)
  • PhD students in natural sciences