215 Fall 2008 Syllabus

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Gene Regulation in Cancer and Development 694:215

Lecture: M2TH2
Mon. & Thurs 10:20-11:40 AM
SERC, Rm 202

Pre-requisites: 01:694:407 or 01:447:384 or 11:115:403 or 11:126:481

Course Coordinator:	Dr. Ken Irvine	Office Hours: By Appt.
Course Instructors:	Dr. Ruth Steward	Office Hours: By Appt.
	Dr. Eillen White	Office Hours: By Appt.

Gene Regulation in Cancer and Development (01:694:492) is a course for advanced undergraduate students majoring in the Life Sciences. Molecular biology is an experimental science, and a major goal of this course is to explain not just what molecular biologists know, but how they know it. Thus, while covering selected topics in gene regulation, development, and cancer, we will emphasize the methods, experimental design, history, and deductive reasoning that has led to the current state of understanding of these topics. This course will meet all of the learning goals of the MBB major.

The course will be taught by three faculty members from the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Drs. Ken Irvine, Ruth Steward, and Eileen White. Each faculty member will give ~8 lectures. Because we are focusing on current topics, there is no textbook, but there will be assigned readings and literature research from the primary literature, and where appropriate, background reference material will be recommended by the instructors. Materials for the course will be posted on an e-college for the course. An i-clicker is required for Dr. Irvine’s section of the course.

There will be three exams over the semester that will cover the material presented in class; there will not be a cumulative final exam. Each exam will count for 25% of the grade. In addition, there will be problem sets, in class quizzes, and/or other assignments that together will count for the remaining 25% of the grade. Absence from exams will be excused only in the case of serious illness or family emergency, and only when backed up by appropriate documentation. Requests for regrades must be submitted within 72 hours of return of the exam.

Class	Instructor	Topic
1	Irvine	Course Introduction & Review of some Fundamental Concepts in Molecular Biology
2	Steward	Drosophila as a model system: genetics and development
3	Steward	Cloning genes in Drosophila: basic techniques
4	Steward	Cloning genes in Drosophila: enhancer trap, walking along the chromosome, transformation rescue First problem set handed out
5	Steward	Genomics and micro RNAs
6	Steward	Control of gene expression in development: activated and repressed promoters First Problem Set Due
7	Steward	Prenatal diagnosis/ Inherited diseases in humans
8	Steward	Gene therapy
9	Steward	Personalized genomics
10	Steward	Exam 1 (covers lectures 2-9 and readings)
11	Irvine	Signal transduction
12	Irvine	Overview of Canonical Wnt Signaling
13	Irvine	Genetic approaches toward identifying & ordering genes in a pathway
14	Irvine	Morphogens and Extracellular Regulation of Wnt Signaling Second problem set handed out
15	Irvine	Biochemical & Cell biological analysis of cytoplasmic & nuclear events in Wnt Signaling I
		Spring Break
16	Irvine	Biochemical & Cell biological analysis of cytoplasmic & nuclear events in Wnt Signaling II Second problem set due
17	Irvine	Downstream of Wnt Signaling: Transcriptional responses & Cellular Outcomes
18	Irvine	Wnt Signaling Summary and Review
19	Irvine	Exam 2 (covers lectures 1 and 11-18 and readings)
20	White	Cancer Definition, Incidence, and Cause
21	White	Oncogenes: Discovery and Function
22	White	The Role of Activated Ras in Human Cancer
23	White	Transgenic and Knockout Technology in Cancer Research
24	White	Tumor Suppressor Genes: Rb and p53 Third problem set handed out
25	White	p53 (paper 1)
26	White	Rb (paper 2) Third problem set due
27	White	Multistep Carcinogenesis
28	White	Exam 3 (covers lectures 20-27 and readings)

last updated 11/14/2009

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