BIOL 4233 Microbial Genetics

MWF 1:30-2:20, SCEN 405

www.uark.edu/campus-resources/mivey/m4233/

 

Instructor:

Mack Ivey

SCEN 627 (office) or FERR 315/316 (lab)

Phone: 575-2729 (office) or 575-2416 (lab)

Email: mivey@uark.edu

Office hours:

Monday and Wednesday 8-10 am, Tuesday 4-5 pm. I’m available at other times by appointment (email me).

Prerequisites:

General Microbiology (BIOL 2013/2011L)

Organic Chemistry (CHEM 3603/3621 and CHEM 3613/3631)

Text:

Molecular Biology, David P. Clark; Elsevier, 2005

Exams and Grading:

There will be four 50-minute exams and a 2-hour final exam.  The 50-minute exams will be worth 75% of the final grade.  Each will cover only new material, i.e., they will not be comprehensive.  Each will be closed book. Old exams are posted on the class web site (http://www.uark.edu/campus-resources/mivey/m4233/exams2k.html).

The final exam is optional.  It will be comprehensive, but you will be allowed to bring your notebook and one textbook to the final exam. If you choose to take it, it will be worth 25% of your grade.  I will calculate both the 4-exam average and the 5-exam average, and give you the higher of the two.  In other words, it can’t hurt you to take the final.

Make-ups:

No exam can be dropped.  Makeup exams will be permitted only if they are arranged one week (or more) prior to the scheduled exam date.  You may make up only one missed exam.

Cancellation Policy:

I will leave a voice mail message at 575-2729, advising you of the status of class on snowy or icy days.

Objective:

To emphasize experimental approaches and problem solving in describing the principles of microbial (primarily bacterial and bacteriophage) genetics, so that you will understand modern genetic tools and be able to apply them.

 

Tentative Schedule:

Aug 2006

Mo21

Intro to course, classical (i.e. non-molecular) genetics, alleles, genetic notation.  Read Chapters 1 and 2.

We23

Introduction to mutational analysis.

Fr25

Mutational analysis, cont.

Mo28

DNA composition and structure. Chapter 3.

We30

DNA composition and structure.

 

Sep 2006

Fri1 

Higher order structure – Chromosomes in bacteria and eukaryotes.

Mo4

Labor Day Holiday

We6

Chromosome structure.

Fr8

Replication.  Chapter 5.

Mo11

Replication.

We13

Replication.

Fr15

Exam I

Mo18

Introduction to gene expression, transcription. Chapters 6 and 12.

We20

Transcription.

Fr22

Transcription and Translation. Chapter 8

Mo25

Translation.

We27

Regulation of gene expression in prokaryotes.  Chapter 9

Fr29

Regulation of prokaryotic genes.

 

Oct 2006

Mo2

Regulation in prokaryotes.

We4 

Regulation in eukaryotes. Chapters 10 and 11.

Fr6

Regulation in eukaryotes.

Mo9

Mutations. Chapter 13.

We11

Exam II

Fr13

Alternative splicing, etc.

Mo16

RNAi

We18

RNAi and Mutations

Fr20

Mutations

Mo23

Error repair. Chapter 14.

We25

Error repair

Fri27

Homologous recombination. Right-click here for mp3 of homologous recombination lecture

 

 October 27th is the last day to drop the course

Mo30

Genetic transfer: conjugation. mp3

 

Nov 2006

We1

Genetic transfer: conj II and transduction. mp3

Fr3

Genetic transfer: transformation mp3

Mo6

Review Session mp3

We8

Exam III

Fr10

Transposition. Chapter 15. mp3

Mo13

Transposons and Lysogeny mp3

We15

Specialized transduction and Plasmids. Chapter 16. mp3

Fr17

Restriction endonucleases mp3

Mo20

Introduction to gene cloning. Chapters 21 and 22 mp3

We22

Fall Break

Fr24

Thanksgiving Holiday

Mo27

Cloning mp3

We29

Cloning mp3

 

Dec 2006

Fr1

Review session

Mo4

Exam IV

 

 

We6

Dead Day

 

 

Tu12

Final Exam 10 am-12 noon