BASICS IN BIOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS
Background
This course attempts to provide the basic background information in molecular biology for researchers and students with a purely theoretical background (e.g. mathematics, mathematical statistics, computer science, theoretical physics). The course will focus on the general principals that have been shown to apply to most life forms, and not dwell too long on too many details (their will be quite a bit of details any way, though) and exceptions. It is the hope that students that have taken the course should be able to put data in bioscience into a conceptual framework and to understand the principles underlining various projects in bioscience.
The course will be a mix of lectures, group discussions and a full week of practicals. All activities will be at the Medical hill, Göteborg, at Medicinaregatan 7 and at Lundberg laboratory, Medicinaregatan 9.
Exam
There will be no formal exam, however, students will be given two tasks during the course: i) to write a short summary of two scientific presentations and ii) to present both orally and as a short summary functional information about a gene - to put the gene in a cellular whole!
The practicals are compulsory!
Head of course and lecturer
Anders Blomberg
Cell and Molecular Biology
Medicinaregatan 9c
Lundberg Laboratory
413 90 Göteborg
tel: 031 - 773 2589
e-mail: anders.blomberg@gmm.gu.se
Lecturer
Markus Tamas
Cell and Molecular Biology
Medicinaregatan 9c
Lundberg Laboratory
e-mail:
Assistents
Jonathan Esguerra
e-mail: jonathan.esguerra@gmm.gu.se
Michael Thorsen
e-mail: michael.thorsen@gmm.gu.se
Litterature: Essential cell biology - An introduction to the molecular biology of the cell Alberts et al., 1998; Garland
22/9 - (room Magda Ringius, F3434)
12.30 - 13.00 Welcome and introduction to the course
13.00 - 13.45 Lecuture (AB) - The cell
cells under the microscope; cell sizes: cell organisation; procaryote; eucaryote
Chapter 1 (p. 1 - 16)
14.00 - 14.45 Lecture (AB) - Cell diversity
unity and diversity of cells; genetic model organisms; E.coli; yeast; C.elegans; Arabidopsis; Drosophila; mouse
Chapter 1 (p. 17 - 36)
CHEMICAL COMPONENTS OF CELLS AND BASIC CELL METABOLISM
15.15 - 16.00 Lecture (AB) - Chemical bonds
chemical bonds; ionic bonds; covalent bonds; water
Chapter 2 (p. 37 - 49
16.15 - 17.00 Lecture (AB) - Molecules in cells
molecules in cells; building blocks; macromolecules
Chapter 2 (p. 52 - 73)
23/9 - (room Gösta Sandels, F2403)
9.00 - 9.45 Lecture (AB) - Thermodynamics
catalysis; enzymes; thermodynamics
Chapter 3 (p. 79 - 93)
10.00 - 10.45 Lecture (AB) - Biosynthesis
activated carriers; ATP; NADH and NADPH; biosynthesis
Chapter 3 (p. 94 - 105)
11.00 - 12.00 PROBLEM SOLVING
LUNCH
13.00 - 13.45 Lecture (AB) - Energy generation
Catabolism; glycolysis; acetyl-CoA; citric acid cycle
Chapter 4 (p. 108 - 124
14.00 - 14.45 Lecture (AB) - Regulation of metabolism
electrone transport; storage; regulation of metabolism
Chapter 4 (p. 124 - 129)
PROTEIN AND DNA
15.15 - 16.00 Lecture (MT) - DNA replication
DNA; genes; structure; replication; DNA polymerase; Chapter 6 (p. 184 - 206)
16.15 - 17.00 Lecture (MT) - DNA repair
DNA repair; mutations
24/9 - (room Maj Bring, k2314d)
9.00 - 9.45 Lecture (MT) - Protein structure
shape and structure; alpha-helix; beta-sheet; cross linkage
Chapter 5 (p. 134 - 154)
10.00 - 10.45 Lecture (MT) - Protein properties
affinities; antibodies; enzyme kinetics; allosteric enzymes
Chapter 5 (154 - 179)
11.15 - 12.00
Lecture (MT) - DNA technolgy I
restriction endonucleases; gel electrophoresis; DNA sequencing; DNA hybridisation;
Chapter 10 (p. 315 - 323)
practicals week (lab work!) Lundberg Laboratory, course lab (bottom floor)
start at 12.30 20/10 (entrance Lundberg laboratory)
practical I: Cell growth
practical II: Protein characterisation
practical III: DNA technology
during the week there will also be lectures about
20/10
13.30 - 14.15
Lecture (MT) - DNA technolgy II
DNA cloning, cDNA libraries; PCR; DNA engineering
Chapter 10 (p. 324 - 342)
21/10
10.00 - 10.45
CHROMOSOMES AND GENE REGULATION
Lecture (MT) - Transcription
from DNA to RNA; transcription; RNA polymerase; RNA processing; introns;
Chapter 7 (p. 212 - 224)
22/10
14.00 - 14.45
Lecture (MT) - Translation
from RNA to protein; translation; ribosomes; tRNA; codons; RNA and the origin of life
Chapter 7 (p. 224 - 240)
23/10
10.00 - 10.45
Lecture (MT) - Chromosomes
the structure of eucaryotic chromosomes; nucleosomes; replication start sites
Chapter 8 (p. 246 - 257)
24/10
9.30 - 10.15
Lecture (MT) - Gene regulation
gene regulatory proteins; general transcription factors; combinatorial control
Chapter 8 (257 - 274)
ends at lunch 24/10
10/11
12.30 - 13.15 Lecture (AB) - Genetic variation
genetic variation in bacteria; transformation; homologous recombination; bacterial mating; plasmids
Chapter 9 (p. 278 - 289)
13.30 - 14.15 Lecture (AB) - Viruses and transposable elements
genetic variation in eucaryotes; gene duplication; transposable elements; viruses; retroviruses; sexual reproduction; meioses
Chapter 9 (p. 291 - 309)
14.45 - 15. 15 Lecture (MT) - Membrane structure
the lipid bilayer; membrane proteins; detergents
Chapter 11 (p. 348 - 368)
15.30 - 16.15 Lecture (MT) - Membrane transport
carrier proteins; active transport; osmotic balance; ion channels; nerve cells
Chapters 12 (p. 372 - 404)
16.30 - 17.15 Lecture (AB) - Mitochondria
biogenesis; mitochondrial genome; ATP generation
Chapter 13 (p. 409 - 429)
11/11
9.00 - 9.45 Lecture (AB) - Chloroplasts
biogenesis; chloroplast genome; photosynthesis
Chapter 13 (p. 430 - 443)
10.00 - 10.45
Lecture (AB) - Protein sorting
signal sequences; chaperones
Chapter 14 (p. 448 - 465)
11.15 - 12.00 Lecture (AB) - Secretion
vesicular transport; protein modification; ER; Golgi
Chapter 14 (p. 467 - 478)
LUNCH
CELL COMMUNICATION AND CELL DIVISION
13.00 - 13.45 Lecture (MT) - Intracellular signalling
receptors; nitric oxide; signalling cascades
Chapter 15 (p. 482 - 493)
14.00 - 14.45 Lecture (AB) - G-protein linked receptors
cyclic AMP; phospholipase C; tyrosine kinases
Chapter 15 (p. 493 - 510)
15.15 - 16.15 PROBLEM SOLVING
16.30 - 17.15 Lecture (AB) - Cytoskeleton
microtubules; actin filaments; myosin
Chapter 16 (p. 514 - 543)
8/12
(Nils Nilsson)
12.30 - 13.15 Lecture (MT) - Cell division
mitosis; mitotic spindle; cytokinesis; meiosis
Chapter 17 (p. 549 - 567)
13.30 - 14.15 Lecture (MT) - Cell cycle control and cell death
cyclin dependent protein kinases; chackpoints; apoptosis
Chapter 18 (p. 572 - 589)
14.45 - 15.30 Lecture (MT) - Tissues
Extracellular matrix; collagen; integrins; gap junctions; cancer; development
Chapter 19 (p. 594 - 628)
15.45 - 17.00
VIDEO - C. elegens as a model system
9/12
(Folke Andreasson, F2419c)
9.00 - 10.00 PROBLEM SOLVING
10.15 - 11.30 DISCUSSION ABOUT THE PRACTICALS
GUIDED TOUR TO SOME LABS AT THE MEDICAL HILL
LUNCH
13.30 - 17.00
ORAL PRESENTATIONS OF GENE PROJECTS
8 presentations
10/12
(Gösta Sandels)
9.00 - 11.40
ORAL PRESENTATIONS OF GENE PROJECTS
8 presentations
12.00 - 12.30
Final note and farewell (AB)