Journal club as a supplement to the undergraduate biochemistry laboratory.
After purification of lysozyme, our biochemistry students write a research proposal that outlines a strategy for studying this enzyme after alteration by site-directed mutagenesis. Despite a literature search that yielded a wealth of background information, students were often overwhelmed by the assignment because they were not familiar with advanced techniques of protein analysis. We therefore developed a series of journal clubs in which teams of students present methods and data found in papers dealing with lysozyme. The five topics for journal clubs include; substrate binding and mechanism; spectroscopic techniques; stability analysis; two-dimensional NMR; and X-ray crystallography. After the adoption of the group talks, the quality of the research proposals improved immensely and students found the assignment to be an educationally rewarding exercise.
Hall
ML
Department of Chemistry, Wellesley College, Wellesley, USA
Wolfson
AJ