Other So I have three weeks to learn about protein dynamics

[Bhon Bunnag]

Hello there,

Situation
I got a research position at my university in studying amyloidogenic proteins, which are associated with many different neuro-degenerative diseases. The professor has a NovoControl Dielectric Spectrometer in the lab, which will be the main equipment used to gather data. I have roughly three weeks before I begin.

Background
I have a good understanding of mathematics and physics background, but only up to the undergraduate sophomore level. On the other hand, I have a high-school level background in chemistry, and a very weak background in biology. This makes it difficult to understand the literature, especially those related to protein dynamics. I also have a mediocre understanding of the theory behind the dielectric spectrometer itself.As of right now, I am looking into Finkelstein's Protein Physics, A Course of Lectures and lots of papers online. I was wondering if there are some other resources recommended for the introductory-level students. Also, maybe some tips in understanding the bio-chemical side of the proteins.

Thank you.

 

[Ygggdrasil]

Congratulations on getting an undergraduate research position. Usually, most a lot of training will be hands on and your advisor and/or supervising grad student or postdoc should be able to recommend reading relevant to your project. For more general background, I would suggest an introductory biochemistry textbook like Lehninger. Molecular Driving Forces by Ken Dill is another good reference though it is much more advanced (though probably suitable for someone like you with a strong chemistry/physics background).

Here's an old but pretty good review article that gives a nice introduction into the field of protein dynamics: https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v450/n7172/full/nature06522.html

 

[Bhon Bunnag]

I'll look into the article and that textbook. Thank you so much :)