Core Curriculum

CORE CURRICULUM 
 
MCB 511 - RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES IN MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY (3).
Faculty present an in depth examination of their specific fields of research.
MCB 525 - TECHNIQUES IN MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY (3).
An intensive laboratory course introducing modern methods for the manipulation of cellular macromolecules. Recombinant DNA technology, protein chemistry, and in situ hybridization methods presented in a format that emphasizes experimental continuity. The course requires two weeks of intensive full-time involvement.
MCB 554 - GENOME ORGANIZATION, STRUCTURE, AND MAINTENANCE (4).
How diverse organisms store their individual sets of genetic information (genomes). Evolution of genomes and gene families. Structures of DNA and chromatin. Biochemical and regulatory pathways that protect cellular genomes against environmental and endogenous damage and ensure transmission of faithful copies to progeny. Remodeling of genomes by recombination and transposition.
MCB 555 - GENOME EXPRESSION AND REGULATION (4).
Prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems will be used to describe recent advances in understanding transcriptional and posttranscriptional control mechanisms. Topics include: microbial, yeast and mouse model systems; transcriptional control mechanisms; RNA processing, silencing and microRNAs; protein synthesis and posttranslational modification; microarray- and mass spectrometry-based expression genomics.
MCB 556 - CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY (4).
MCB 556 Cell and Developmental Biology (4). Examination of molecular and structural elements in eukaryotic cells and their relationship to function and development. Topics include nuclear organization, membranes, organelles, intracellular sorting, cell energetics, cell signaling, cell motility, cell division cycle, and developmental processes of selected model organisms. Critical reading and writing skills will be emphasized. CROSSLISTED as GEN 556. PREREQS: BB 450, BB 451 (biochemistry) or equivalent; BI 311 (genetics) or equivalent. Recommended: BI 460 (cell biology) or equivalent; MCB 554, MCB 555
MCB 557 - SCIENTIFIC SKILLS AND ETHICS (3).
Students receive training in the preparation and presentation of scientific seminars. This course also offers instruction and discussions of ethics relevant to scientists.
MCB 610 - MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY INTERNSHIPS (1-9). Research experiences and disciplinary explorations in laboratories of MCB faculty.
MCB 668 - BIOINFORMATICS AND GENOMICS (4).  This course is divided into two 2-credit modules. First module teaches both the theory and practice of basic informatics techniques-including sequence alignment, sequence searching, and the evolution of protein families- and their applications at a genome-wide level (comparative genomics and functional genomics). Second module introduces the fundamental tools of bioinformatics (Linux, Perl) and bioinformatics algorithms necessary to process and analyze large datasets generated from high-throughput genomics experiments. The second module is structured in three sections: Programming Concepts (PC), Biological Applications (BA) and Biological Projects (BP). Programming Concepts lays the foundation for the later two sections. PC will teach students to work within a Linux operating system in a client/server environment. Students learn to create programs in Perl scripting language, which permeates modern bioinformatics applications. Relevant programming concepts are presented and code examples illustrated using biological data. BA builds on the PC foundation to provide "snapshots" of common bioinformatics methods. For example, formatting biological sequence data into standard file formats, parsing the output from common bioinformatics software, adding notations to biosequences, calculating common statistics associated with biosequences (i.e., reverse complementation of DNA sequence). BP uses the BA snapshots to develop more extensive projects. BP incorporates extensive coverage of theoretical and algorithmic concepts to explore a biological topic where dealing with the data in a computational and mathematical framework is essential. . . . . . CROSSLISTED as MB 668.