The course will be organized and tutored by

• Gunter Stier, Research associate in Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg and
• Gilles Travé, Research associate in CNRS, Strasbourg University & Prof II Bergen

• 2 ECTs will be awarded for the course
  

Course description

The theoretical aims of the course are to provide:

• Insights in project planning
• Insights in medium throughput cloning and protein expression in E. coli
• Use of fusion proteins and associated purification and interaction strategies
• Co-expression and purification strategies
• Insights in various trouble shooting problems and strategies to solve them
• Fast "holdup" assay for protein-protein interaction.

The practical aims of the course:

• Primer design procedure and gene optimization
• Preparation, digestion and ligation of PCR fragments in expression vectors
• Plasmid minipreparation and selection of positive clones
• Protein expression miniscreen
• Playing with strains, growth conditions and fusion partners to optimise quality of protein of interest
• Use of bicistronic and two-plasmid systems for coexpression
• Upscaling of positive candidates to a protein midipreparation
• Protein minipreparation and fast chromatographic protein interaction assay.

Pedagogic approach:

1/ Pedagogic examples of standard projects. The tutors will bring prepared material using GFP as a general control protein and well-characterised proteins from their own previous research projects. Some of these proteins illustrate standard successful projects, other ones illustrate particular artefacts. With this material, the students will follow the whole process of an expression project starting from design through cloning and expression until succesful upscaled purification and interaction tests of interesting candidates.

2/ "Personnalised" projects in which the students will be allowed to work on their favorite protein. The same experimental outlines will be followed as for the standards, with a one-day shift in the time schedule. In this way, the students can immediately apply the methods they have been introduced to, and they are motivated by the fact that this is immediately beneficial for them.

This is a well-worked out course which has been performed several times as part of the three "PEPC" EMBO courses in

2004/2006/2008 at EMBL Hamburg, and in two cloning & expression workshops at UCMP, Umeå, Sweden, in 2005/2006. 

Registration

contact@mcb.uib.no

Deadline: May 8th 2009

Registration fee for external candidates (not associated with the University of Bergen): 1.000 NOK

Practical information

The course is held at Høyteknologisenteret i Bergen (HIB), Thormølensgate 55.  The lab and lecture room is in the 4th floor of the Biobuilding ("Bioblokken").  It may be a bit awkward to find - if you want you may take the elevator to the 5th floor and ask for directions at the Department of Molecular Biology's reception there.

Some reasonable placed lodgings in Bergen:

Marken Gjestehus offer 2-, 3-, 4- and 6-8 bed rooms.  The 2-bed rooms may be used by a single person. 

Jakob's Apartments offer single or double apartments and dormitory.

Bergen YMCA hostel offer 2-, 4- and 6 bed rooms, and dormitory.
All of these are nice and located centrally in Bergen, walking to HIB should take you about 20 minutes.

Montana vandrerhjem is another option, but farther from town - you will depend on bus.

If you are not able to find a place at any of these places, please contact us and we will provide contact info for additional alternatives.