Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Biology

• L529 Bioinformatics in Molecular Biology and Genetics: Practical Applications (4 cr.) P: I501, I502, L519, or consent of instructor. Practical experience in a range of data analysis and software engineering methods applied to molecular biology data.
• L585 Molecular Genetics (3 cr.) P: L364 and C483 or equivalent. The molecular basis of genetic interactions, with emphasis on microbial systems. The course covers the molecular mecha­nisms of mutation, suppression, recombination, complementa­tion, etc., as well as mechanisms for gene transfer in bacteria and bacteriophage. The application of genetic analysis to a variety of molecular biological topics is emphasized.
• L586 Molecular Analysis of Cell Biology (3 cr.) Critical analysis of recent advances in our understanding of molecular organiza­tion of cellular structures and of their mode of function. The primary interest of this course concerns the eukaryotic cell.
• M525 Topics in Microbial Biochemistry and Physiology (3 cr.) P: Graduate standing and C483 or M350 or equivalent. The course will consider topics in physiology and biochemistry of eukaryotic and prokaryotic microorganisms. Subjects include membrane physiology and regulatory networks in metabolism and gene expression.

Chemistry

• C632 Structure, Function, and Spectroscopy of Metal Ions in Biological Systems (3 cr.) Introduction to the field of bio­inorganic chemistry and spectroscopic methods for determin­ing structure/function relationship of metal ions in biology. Emphasis on oxygen carriers, metal ion transport and storage, as well as oxidoreductases involved in oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen metabolism. A discussion of electron transfer proteins, photosystems, and the role of metals in medicine will also be included.

Medical Sciences

• B801 Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry (3 cr.) P: Graduate standing and consent of instructor. Biochemistry for medical students, emphasizing structure-function relationships of cel­lular components, biosynthesis of nucleic acids and proteins, degradation of simple and complex cell constituents, and regu­lation of cell growth.
• B802 Metabolism and Signal Transduction (3 cr.) P: Graduate standing and consent of instructor. Biochemistry for medical students, including signaling pathways, membrane biochem­istry, and the metabolism of macromolecules in health and disease with emphasis on clinical applications.

Physics

• • P575 Introduction to Biophysics (3 cr.) P: Two out of three from the following: (1) P221/P222 and P301 or equivalent, (2) C105/C106 or equivalent, and (3) L221 and L312 or equivalent; or consent of instructor. Physics P575 presents an introduction to Biophysics. Representative topics include: Order of magnitude analysis and scaling in biology; X-ray scattering and structure of biomolecules; properties of biomolecules and biomolecular complexes; Brownian motion; life at low Reynolds number and cellular motility; enzymatic reactions and biochemical networks; reaction-diffusion processes and pattern formation; sensory and motor systems; psychophysics and animal behavior; statistical inference.

Neural Sciences

• N612 Ion Channels and Receptors (3 cr.) P: Graduate status and consent of instructor. Molecular, biophysical, and bio­chemical analysis of the major molecules responsible for neural excitability and synaptic transmission: receptor-coupled ion channels, voltage-dependent ion channels, G-protein coupled receptors, transporters, signal transduction pathways, synaptic vesicle-associated proteins, cytoskeletal proteins, classical and novel neurotransmitters and modulators.