BSCI 421
Spring, 2003
Tu/Th, 8-9:15

Eukaryotic Cell Biology
4 credit hours

S. Wolniak

1140 Plant Sciences
Textbook | Course Requirements | Office Hours | Lecture Schedule | Laboratory Schedule

Textbook:

Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th Edition. Garland Publishing. New York.
Wolniak et al., 2003. Eukaryotic Cell Biology - A Laboratory Manual 8th Edition

Course requirements: Midterm exams Thursday, March 6 20 % of grade
    Thursday, April 10 20 % of grade
  Final Wednesday, May 21 25 % of grade
  Laboratory (room 1171 Pl Sci)   35 % of grade
 
(lab practical, lab notebook, write-ups
the TAs will provide details on lab points)
Office hours: By appointment

Eukaryotic Cell Biology
Lecture Schedule

Date Topic Readings
     
Jan 28

Introduction to Cell Biology

  • Purpose of course/historical perspective
  • Minimal requirements for life
  • Constituents of the cell
  • Origins of cells
  • Prokaryotes vs eukaryotes
  • The minimal cell
  • Parts of the eukaryotic cell

 Ch. 1
Jan 30 Basic Biochemistry Ch. 2,3,4
Feb 4-11 Techniques to study cells Ch. 8,9
Feb 13

The Plasma Membrane

  • Types of movement
  • Energetics of movement
 Ch. 10
Feb 18

Membrane Transport Processes

  • Types of movement
  • Energetics of movement
 Ch. 11
Feb 20

Macromolecular Transport

  • Endocytosis
  • Exocytosis
 Ch. 13
Feb 25-27

Internal Membrane Systems

  • Separation of metabolic activities

The Endoplasmic Reticulum

  • Signal hypothesis-translation on RER
  • Vectorial transport/discharge

 

 Ch. 12,13
Mar 4

The Golgi Apparatus

  • Protein processing and sorting
 Ch. 13
 

Lysosomes and Vacuoles

 Ch. 13
 

Peroxisomes, Glyoxysomes and Microbodies

  • Composition and functions

 

 Ch. 12
Mar 6 Midterm Examination I  
Mar 11

Organelles with double membranes,

  • Nucleus, mitochondria, plastids
 Ch. 14
Mar 13

The Nucleus

  • Chromatin organization, nucleosomes
  • Nuclear envelope, nuclear pores
  • Gene regulation, transcription
Ch. 4,5,6,12
Mar 18-20

The Nucleolus; Ribosomes

  • rRNA, precursor and processing
  • Ribosomal organization
  • Translation
Ch. 6
Mar 25-27 No Lecture - Spring Break  
Apr 1

Mitochondria

  • Organization, composition
  • Chemiosmosis, electron transport, ATP formation

 Ch. 14
Apr 3-8

Chloroplasts (and other plastids)

  • Organization, composition
  • Photosynthesis
  • Carbon fixation
 Ch. 14
 

Inheritance in Mitochondria and Chloroplasts

  • Similarities/differences between organelle DNA and nuclear or prokaryotic genomes
 Ch. 14
 
  • Post-translational import of nuclear gene products
  • The evolution of mitochondria and plastids
 Ch. 12
Apr 10 Midterm examination II  
Apr 15-22

The Cytoskeleton

  • Microtubules and microfilaments
Ch. 16
Apr 24-29

Cell Motility

  • Life with a low Reynolds Number
  • Paradigms for movement (flagellar
    axoneme, skeletal muscle sarcomere)
  • Cytoplasmic streaming, wall formation
Ch. 16
May 1-6

Cell Replication, Cell Cycle

  • Mitosis, meiosis
  • Centrosomes and centrioles
  • Cytokinesis
Ch. 17,18
May 8-13

Cell Signalling

  • Principles of signal reception and transduction
  • Regulatory cascades - kinases and phosphatases
Ch. 15
May 21 FINAL EXAMINATION 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

 

 

S. Wolniak et al.
Eukaryotic Cell Biology 		  Spring, 2003
BSCI 421
Room 1171 Plant Sci

Laboratory Schedule

Dates   Special Events Lab Exercise
       
Feb 4-6   1. Cell Diversity
  11-13   2. Physiology of Fertilization in Sea Urchins
  18-20   3. Parameters Affecting Taq Activity in PCR
  25-27   4. The Plasma Membrane Permeability in Erythrocytes
Mar 4-6 6: MIDTERM I 5a. Chloroplast Isolation and Fractionation
  11-13   5b. Electrophoretic Analysis of Chloroplast Proteins
  18-20   6a. Spatial Distributions of Organelles
  24-30 Spring Break
-------------------
Apr 1-3   6b Experimental Manipulation of Organelle Distribution
  8-10 10: MIDTERM II 7. Organization of the Cytoskeleton
  15-17   8a. Cell Cycle Dynamics I - Growth Factor Receptors
  22-24   8b. Cell Cycle Dynamics II - Regulation
Apr 29-May 1   Laboratory Practical Examination
      Notebooks and reports are due by 5/5