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Bioorganic Chemistry: Designing Peptides with Defined Folding Properties by Caroline R. Pharr, Erik B. Hadley, and William C. Pomerantz. Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706; crpharr@ wisc.edu Keywords: General Public, Elementary/Middle School Science, High School/Introductory Chemistry, Chemical Education Research, Biochemistry, Internet/Web-based Learning, Protein/ Peptides, Receptors, Synthesis Requires: Internet connection; Java applet
This Today’s Science for Tomorrow’s Scientists (TSTS) tutorial introduces current scientific research from Samuel Gellman’s group at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Researchers in Gellman’s group design molecules with well-defined folding properties. Short polymer chains of β-amino acids (β-peptides) can adopt specific folding patterns reminiscent of naturally occurring α-peptides. β-Peptides have been designed to be biologically active as well as to possess interesting selfassembly behavior. This work has led to β-peptides that display antibiotic activity, and others that form liquid crystals. The topics covered in the grades 5–8 section of the Gellman tutorial include:
Screenshot of a Web page from the Gellman Research Tutorial for grades 5–8.
• Drug design
• Self-assembly
• Primary structure
Similar material is presented for both middle school and high school students; however, the information is tailored to the appropriate grade level. For example, in the 5–8 section of the tutorial—when discussing the various levels of protein structure found in biological molecules—a string of beads is used to represent the molecule. In this analogy, each bead represents an individual amino acid (see the figure). By contrast, the 9–12 section of the tutorial uses Jmol images to introduce secondary and tertiary structure, which allows students to move and resize molecules with their mouse. This tutorial will allow middle and high school teachers to introduce bioorganic chemistry research while simultaneously aligning with National Science Education Standards in the physical sciences.
• Secondary structure
Supporting JCE Online Material
• Tertiary structure
http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2008/Oct/abs1455.html
• Hydrogen bonding
• Formation of peptide bonds
Full text (HTML and PDF)
• β-Peptides
• Lock and key model
• Active sites
• Primary structure
• Secondary structure
• Tertiary structure
• β-peptides
• Lock and key model
• Active sites
• Self-assembly
Topics covered in the grades 9–12 section of the Gellman tutorial include:
Supplement
Find “Bioorganic Chemistry: Designing Peptides with Defined Folding Properties” in the ChemEd Digital Library at http://www. chemeddl.org/collections/TSTS/Gellman/Index.html
© Division of Chemical Education • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 85 No. 10 October 2008 • Journal of Chemical Education
1455
