The Biochemistry Laboratory II curriculum has been designed as a research-based laboratory, wherein you will apply the ideas learned in the Fall semester (CHEM4411/Biochemistry Laboratory I) to characterize the enzymatic activity of proteins for which 3D structures have been determined by the federally-funded Joint Center for Structural Genomics (JCSG). In particular, proteins were chosen if they (a) are anticipated to have an enzymatic activity and (b) this activity can be characterized via UV-VIS spectrophotometric assays. Most important is the fact that the functions of these proteins remain uncharacterized. Putative functions of your POI have been predicted (and ‘annotated’) via bioinformatics tools, based on any structural and sequence-level similarity between it and other proteins (of already-known enzymatic function). Your mission is to (1) over-express & purify your POI and (2) assay putative enzymatic activities to try to determine the biochemical properties and possible function of your POI.