BSCI 420,421
Tu/Th, 8-9:15
Spring, 2004

Eukaryotic Cell Biology
4 credit hours

S. Wolniak

1140 Plant Sciences
Ph. 5-1605

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 4 20 % of grade
    Thursday, April 8 20 % of grade
  Final Wednesday, May 18 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

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Eukaryotic Cell Biology
Lecture Schedule

Date Topic Readings
     
Jan 27

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 29 Basic Biochemistry Ch. 2,3,4
Feb 3-10 Techniques to study cells Ch. 8,9
Feb 12

The Plasma Membrane

  • Types of movement
  • Energetics of movement
Ch. 10
Feb 17

Membrane Transport Processes

  • Types of movement
  • Energetics of movement
Ch. 11
Feb 19

Macromolecular Transport

  • Endocytosis
  • Exocytosis
Ch. 13
Feb 24-26

Internal Membrane Systems

  • Separation of metabolic activities

The Endoplasmic Reticulum

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

 

Ch. 12,13
Mar 2

The Golgi Apparatus

  • Protein processing and sorting
Ch. 13
 

Lysosomes and Vacuoles

Ch. 13
 

Peroxisomes, Glyoxysomes and Microbodies

  • Composition and functions

 

Ch. 12
Mar 4 Midterm Examination I  
Mar 9

Organelles with double membranes,

  • Nucleus, mitochondria, plastids
Ch. 14
Mar 11

The Nucleus

  • Chromatin organization, nucleosomes
  • Nuclear envelope, nuclear pores
  • Gene regulation, transcription
Ch. 4,5,6,12
Mar 16-18

The Nucleolus; Ribosomes

  • rRNA, precursor and processing
  • Ribosomal organization
  • Translation
Ch. 6
Mar 23-25 No Lecture - Spring Break  
Mar 30

Mitochondria

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

Ch. 14
Apr 1-6

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 8 Midterm examination II  
Apr 13-20

The Cytoskeleton

  • Microtubules and microfilaments
Ch. 16
Apr 22-27

Cell Motility

  • Life with a low Reynolds Number
  • Paradigms for movement (flagellar
    axoneme, skeletal muscle sarcomere)
  • Cytoplasmic streaming, wall formation
Ch. 16
Apr 27-29

Cell Replication, Cell Cycle

  • Mitosis, meiosis
  • Centrosomes and centrioles
  • Cytokinesis
Ch. 17,18
May 4-11

Cell Signalling

  • Principles of signal reception and transduction
  • Regulatory cascades - kinases and phosphatases
Ch. 15
May 18 FINAL EXAMINATION 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

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S. Wolniak et al.
Eukaryotic Cell Biology
  Spring, 2004
BSCI 421
Room 1171 Plant Sci

Laboratory Schedule

Dates   Special Events Lab Exercise
       
Feb 3-5   1. Cell Diversity
  10-12   2. Physiology of Fertilization in Sea Urchins
  17-19   3. Parameters Affecting Taq Activity in PCR
  24-26   4. The Plasma Membrane Permeability in Erythrocytes
Mar 2-4 6: MIDTERM I 5a. Chloroplast Isolation and Fractionation
  9-11   5b. Electrophoretic Analysis of Chloroplast Proteins
  16-18   6a. Spatial Distributions of Organelles
  23-25 Spring Break
-------------------
Mar 30- Apr 1   6b Experimental Manipulation of Organelle Distribution
  6-8 10: MIDTERM II 7. Organization of the Cytoskeleton
  13-15   8a. Cell Cycle Dynamics I - Growth Factor Receptors
  20-22   8b. Cell Cycle Dynamics II - Regulation
Apr 27- 29   Laboratory Practical Examination
      Notebooks and reports are due by 5/6

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