Instructor: Sarah O'Connor, 18-592, x4-0180,
soc@mit.edu
Lecture: Tu, Th 11:30-1:00, 3-442
Grading: Three problem sets and a final
paper
Textbook: Medicinal Natural Products: A
Biosynthetic Approach, 2nd Ed, Paul M. Dewick
9/4/03
• Peptide biosynthesis: Ribosomal vs. non-ribosomal
• "Tailoring" of peptides: Introducing diversity into
peptide structure
Problem Set 1 assigned
9/9/03
• Peptide biosynthesis, continued
9/11/03
• Polyketide biosynthesis: General strategy of macrolide construction
• Similarities to peptide biosynthesis: Mixed peptide/polyketides
9/16/03
• Aromatic polyketides and polyethers
9/18/03
• Alkaloid biosynthesis: What is an alkaloid?
• Microbial nitrogen containing compounds
Problem Set 1 Due; Problem Set 2 assigned
9/23/03
• Plant alkaloid biosynthetic Pathways: Challenges and limitations
• Ornithine derived structures: Pyrrolidine, tropane, pyrrolizidine
alkaloids
9/25/03
• Lysine derived structures: Piperdine, quinolizidine alkaloids
• Histidine, Arginine, Phenylalanine derived alkaloids
• Tryptophan derived structures 1: Nicotinic acid
9/30/03
• Tyrosine derived structures: Catecholamines, isoquinoline
alkaloids
• Tryptophan derived structures 2: b-carboline, terpene indole alkaloids
10/2/03
• Purine alkaloids
• Acetate derived alkaloids: Transamination to introduce nitrogen
Problem Set 2 Due; Problem Set 3 assigned
10/7/03
• Shikimate pathway: Useful
natural products on the way to aromatic amino acids
10/9/03
• Coenzyme A starting materials: Flavonoids and stilbenes
Abstract for review due
10/14/03
• Terpene biosynthesis: The mevalonate pathway
• Monoterpenes and the iridoids; sesquiterpenes; diterpenes; squalenes
10/16/03
Terpenes, continued.
Problem Set 3 Due
10/21/03
• Engineering biosynthetic pathways: Chemical synthesis vs. biosynthesis
• Biosynthesis of unnatural polyketides and peptides
• Enzymology of terpene cyclases
10/23/03
• New sources of natural products
(reschedule) • Evolution of natural products: Where does secondary
metabolism come from?
Final paper due |
