COURSE TITLE Biology 314; Nucleic Acids Biochemistry and Molecular Biology PROFESSOR(S) Lilian Ming-Te Hsu, lhsu@mtholyoke.edu Laurie Lentz-Marino, lelentzm@mtholyoke.edu LECTURE TuThF, 75 Min TEXTS Lehninger, AL, Nelson, DL, Cox, MM. 2000. Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry. 3rd ed. Worth Publishers, Incorporated. EXAMS & GRADING The course grade will be based on a total of 650 points accrued from the following exercises. Letter grade will not be assigned for individual exams, but only for the course as a whole, based on the total points accumulated. Usually, the mean score for this course corresponds to a B. 1. Three exams have been scheduled: Exam 1, Feb. 25; Exam 2, April 4; Exam 3, April 25. Each exam is worth 100 points. 2. Five laboratory reports worth 200 points in total will be due a week after each block of experiments. The reports should be type written. 3. A research proposal worth 150 points will take the place of the Final Exam. This proposal contains two components - an oral presentation and a written "mock" research proposal. The oral presentation, ~15 min per student, will take place during the last week of classes. This exercise is worth 50 points and will include evaluation by fellow students. The written proposal worth 100 points is due on the last day of the reading period (May 8). LECTURE SCHEDULE Lecture Topic Reading 1 Central Dogma of Molecular Biology Chapter 10 2 Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids: Structures and Chemistry   3 Structures of DNA: A-, B-, Z-DNA; Major/Minor Grooves   4 Forces Stabilizing DNA Helix: Denaturation & Hybridization   5 DNA Supercoiling Chapter 24 6 Higher Order Organization of DNA   7 Recombinant DNA Technology Chapter 29 8 Molecular Cloning Techniques   9 Chemical and Enzymatic Analysis of DNA   10 DNA Sequencing Methods; Footprinting Techniques   11 DNA Synthesis: Oligonucleotide Technology, PCR Amplification   12 Exam 1   13 Biosynthesis of Purines and Pyrimidine Ribonucleotides Chapter 22 14 Biosynthesis of Deoxyribonucleotides   15 Catabolism of Nucleotides and Salvage Pathways   16 DNA Metabolism: DNA Replication Chapter 25 17 DNA Repair and Mechanisms   18 DNA Recombination   19 RNA Metabolism: Structures and Cellular Roles Chapter 26 20 Transcriptional Regulatory Elements: Promoters and Terminators   21 Spring Break   22 Prokaryotic RNA Polymerase and the Transcription Cycle Chapter 26 23 Eukaryotic RNA Polymerases   24 RNA Processing-Prokaryotes vs. Eukaryotes   25 Split Genes and Splicing Mechanisms   26 Regulation of Gene Expression Chapter 28 27 Exam 2   28 Transcriptional Regulation Mechanisms   29 Protein Metabolism Chapter 27 30 Science Symposium   31 Steps of Protein Synthesis   32 Structure and Function of tRNAs and rRNAs   33 Ribosome Assembly   34 Deciphering the Genetic Code   35 Translational Regulation   36 Exam 3   37 Oral Presentation of Research Proposal Projects   38 Oral Presentation of Research Proposal Projects   39 Oral Presentation of Research Proposal Projects   40 Oral Presentation of Research Proposal Projects   41 Oral Presentation of Research Proposal Projects   Last Modified: March 11, 2005

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