What do you think of?

Symbiosis, or the living together of different organisms, allows some species to live in otherwise hostile environments, so it can be a powerful mechanism of evolutionary change.

And in every such case, the special role of certain inorganic elements is the key to the symbiosis.

Does it matter what we call it?

Are these really different?

Biological Inorganic Chemistry

Inorganic BiochemistryBioinorganic Chemistry

Metals in Biology

Bio inorganic Chemistry

A contradiction in terms?

Bio inorganic Chemistry

1. Not having the structure or organization of living bodies2. Not characterized by vital processes3. Not fundamental or related; extraneous 4. Pertaining to compounds that are not hydrocarbons5. Mineral

1. (Gr. “bios” ‘life, course or way of living’). In compounds formed in Greek itself, as biography; and in modernscientific words in which bio- is extended to mean ‘organic life.’2. A prefix meaning “life”

Bulk elements to form structure

Bulk elements to form structure

Bulk elements to form structureEssential elements for special functions

Bulk elements to form structureEssential elements for special functionsEssential elements for certain species

Bulk elements to form structureEssential elements for special functionsEssential elements for certain speciesElements used in medicine as therapeutics or diagnostics

OK,then whyare only3 metals shown?

a guess: it reflects history.

The first book Inorganic Biochemistry (1973) mainly concerned these metals:

Fe: hemes and heme enzymesheme = red

Cu in copper oxidases or the copper cyanin proteins:cerulocyanin cyanin from from Greek kuaneos

'dark blue'plastocyanin plasto: in chloroplasts hemocyanin hemo:stellacyanin stella: star (shape)azurin azure = bright blue from medieval

Latin azzurum, azolum

Zn in alkaline phosphatases

Mo in molybdoenzymes: key in nitrogen cycle

A blue copper protein called azurin, contains one copper atom

Plastocyanin crystals

Copper Oxidases fascinate with their blue colors

An engineered azurin variant that binds two Cu atoms. A short Cu-Cu distance causes intense purple color.

Who is in this field:

Synthetic Inorganic ChemistsSynthetic Organic Chemists

Biochemists Protein crystallographers

Physical Chemists Spectroscopists

Biologists Botanists GeneticistsGeologists

MDs Environmental scientists

The format of this course:

Lots of reading (text)Lots of discussion

Little lecturingLots of participation

What is graded:Occasional worksheets

One mid-termOne-final

One or more short presentations… and all your participation

Get to know the website

The course is also fairly paperless

My goals for you:

(1) become familiar with the breadth of bioinorganic

chemistry

(2) develop sufficient background to read the

literature or to research a particular

topic in bioinorganic chemistry

(3) know how the characteristics of metals

influence their roles in biology