BMB 210: INTRODUCTION TO CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Spring 2010 Lecture Syllabus

Instructor:        Dr. Steve Asmus (Y212, X 5318;  steve.asmus@centre.edu)

Office hours:  T & R: 9:40-11:10 a.m.;  F: 1:50-2:50 p.m.

Lecture Text:   The World of the Cell  7th ed. (2009), by Becker et al.

Lab manual:     BMB 210 Lab Manual available on WebCT, by BMB professors.

Lecture Schedule

Date

Topic

Chapter Reading

2/3 W

Introduction / History of Cell Biology

1

2/5 F

Chemistry of the Cell:  Carbon & Water

2

2/8 M

Macromolecules of the Cell:  Proteins

3

2/10 W

Macromolecules of the Cell:  Proteins

3 (see Box 22A pg. 691)

2/12 F

Macromolecules of the Cell:  Nucleic acids

3

2/15 M

Macromolecules of the Cell:  Polysaccharides

3

2/17 W*

Macromolecules of the Cell:  Lipids

(*Research topic approval deadline)

3

2/19 F

Bioenergetics

5

2/22 M

Enzymes

6

2/24 W

EXAM I (through Bioenergetics Ch 5)

 

2/26 F

Enzymes

6

3/1 M

Enzymes

6

3/3 W

Glycolysis

9

3/5 F*

Glycolysis (*Outline due)

9

3/8 M

TCA Cycle

10

3/10 W

Electron transport

10

3/12 F

Oxidative Phosphorylation

10

3/15 M

Photosynthesis

11

3/17 W

EXAM II (through Ox Phos Ch 10)

 

3/19 F

Membrane Structure

7

3/22-3/26

Spring Break

 

3/29 M

Membrane Transport

8

3/31 W

Membrane Transport

 

8

4/2 F

Electrical & Synaptic Signaling in Neurons

 

13

4/5 M

Intracellular compartments (ER / Golgi)

12

4/7 W

Protein sorting

12, 22 (pp. 696-706)

4/9 F

Endocytosis / Exocytosis

12

4/12 M

Lysosomal pathway / Peroxisomes

12

4/14 W

Cell junctions

17

4/16 F

Extracellular matrix

17

4/19 M*

Cell Signaling

(*Research paper due)

 

14 (pp. 392-403)

4/21 W

Cell Signaling

14 (pp. 392-403), 18

4/23 F

DNA & Nuclear Structure

18

4/26 M

EXAM III (through Cell Signaling Ch 14)

 

4/28 W

Cell Cycle / Apoptosis / Cancer

19 (pp. 551-553, 572-591),

14 (pp. 419-421), 24 (757-764)

4/30 F

DNA Replication

19 (pp. 553-569)

5/3 M

Transcription

21

5/5 W

RNA processing / Genetic Code

21

5/7 F

Translation

22 (pp. 685-696)

5/10 M

Regulation of Gene expression

23

 

 5/15  Saturday   Exam IV & Final Exam  1:30-4:30 am

 

GENERAL POLICIES AND GRADING:

á      You GET TO attend every class and lab and learn some incredibly cool stuff! Attendance is required. Three "excused" absences are allowed per lecture course. An absence is excused only with written approval of the College (e.g. sick list, coachÕs email). Unexcused absences will influence the discretionary portion of your grade (see below). More than 2 unexcused absences will result in an overall grade reduction.

á      10% late penalty for each day (including weekends) that your assignment is late. Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Save your work in more than one place.

 

GRADING: 

Your grade in this class is divided 75% lecture and 25% lab (details of the lab grade will be discussed in lab).  Of the lecture portion,  the grades are divided as follows:

 

á      Exams (78% of lecture grade)       Hourly exams (n=4 total)                                17% each

Final Exam                                                      10%

 

á      Research Paper                              Outline & Bibliography                                    5%

            (22% of lecture grade) Final Research Paper                                       17%

 

á      Participation (see below)

Exams: 

Four ÒhourlyÓ exams are scheduled at the end of each major section.  During the final exam block, you will be given:  1) the fourth hourly exam covering the last section of material, and 2) a comprehensive final exam over the entire course. 

 

Exam content:

You are responsible for all material presented in lecture and material assigned in the text (including illustrations).

 

Participation:

I will consider participation and effort (attentiveness, willingness to ask and answer questions in class, and general ÒengagementÓ in the class) as a determining factor for students whose final grade teeters between two letter grades.

 

Grading Scale:

93-100   = A                77-79.9   = C+

90-92.9  = A-              73-76.9   = C

87-89.9  = B+             70-72.9   = C-

83-86.9  = B                60-69.9   = D

80-82.9  = B-              < 60        = U

 

Study suggestions and study aids:

1) Attend class and take good notes. Rewrite your notes as soon as you can after the class period as a way to review the material, to make your notes more legible and organized, and to discover possible holes in your notes or areas that need clarification. Carefully read the assigned portion of text, including the figures that we discuss in class. Discuss the material with a friend or small group of friends to quiz each other.

 

2) Selected end-of-chapter questions from the text will be assigned, and answers will be provided by email. These will not be collected or graded. Sample exams (actual questions from previous exams) will be provided by email. Also, the CD-ROM (The Cell Place) provided with your text contains practice quizzes as well as animations and interactive activities useful for review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writing Assignment Overview: 

You will write a research paper on a current (from 2006-10), very focused topic in biochemistry, molecular or cellular biology. I will provide detailed instructions and samples in separate documents. Carefully read (and read again later) the following overview with deadlines included.

 

You will prepare your paper in three steps:

1. Select and gain my approval for a current research topic by February 17. One student per topic, first-come, first-served. Topics should be very focused – see sample outline for an example of an appropriate topic.

 

2. Prepare a detailed sentence outline with bibliography (2-3 pages, single-spaced, not including bibliography) due March 5.  This outline should demonstrate how you will organize your paper based on your literature research.  Your outline should be written in complete sentences that describe and/or define each heading and subheading (see sample outline). Use standard outline formatting (e.g. I. A. 1. a. i.) – not bullet points. Your bibliography should include at least 4 sources. At least 2 of the sources should be ÒprimaryÓ research papers (journal articles that describe actual experiments) published between 2006-10.

 

3. Prepare your research paper (5-6 pages, double-spaced, not including References) due April 19. You should have at least 6 references, including at least 3 primary research articles. Turn in a hard copy along with your original graded outline, and email me an electronic copy of your paper. You also must submit your paper to turnitin.com (detailed instructions will be provided). Plagiarism will be subject to disciplinary action. Please review the information in the Student Handbook on Academic Honesty.

 

Literature Search/Electronic Database:

Public Access MEDLINE (ÒPubMedÓ) is a searchable database of all biomedical literature, including all science journals that cover research in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/

 

Interlibrary Loan:

Individual articles in journals not carried by our library can be obtained for free through an interlibrary loan.  Loans may take 1-3 weeks to arrive, so DO NOT WAIT until the last minute to request them!

http://www.centre.edu/web/library/services/ill.html

 

Potential References for Writing Assignment: 

I will email you a list of primary (research journals), secondary and tertiary sources in the field of BMB that are carried in CentreÕs library.

 

FINAL NOTE: 

If you have any questions or problems, stop in during my office hours or contact me to set up an appointment.  If a crisis arises that affects your ability to take a test or meet a deadline, contact me immediately.