Biology 152: Molecules and Cells                                                                                                       Fall 2000

 

Lecture Instructor:                                Sigrid A. Carle                                                                                                                                                                                                     

                                Rosenberg 205,  Ext. 3589

Office hours: M   1:15-1:50  p.m., TH  10 – Noon, or by appointment.

 

Lab Instructor:                Susan Morgan

Eaton 213, Ext. 3599

Office hours: T  11-noon, TH  10-11, or by appointment

 

Required material:

·         Biology (1999) by Campbell, Reece, Mitchell.       

·         Packet of labs

·         Composition book with graph paper

·         Three-ring binder for lab

 

Objectives:  My goal is to provide you with an introduction to cellular and molecular biology.  The course will cover three main topics that are a foundation for upper-level work: molecular biology, genetics, and cell biology.  Throughout the course, but particularly at the end, I will weave the connections between these topics together by using specific health-related issues such as: HIV infection, alcohol metabolism, and sex determination.  I hope that you will leave the course with an appreciation of how different fields of biology are interrelated.

 

My overall goal as an instructor is to get you to think like a scientist.  The field of biology is rapidly evolving and has changed a great deal since I graduated from William Smith. Most students will not remember the details of a biology course a year, much less five years, from now.  Some of this information will be outdated in five years anyway.  More importantly, I hope you will carry away an understanding of how scientists devise experiments, draw conclusions, and build working models of biological systems.  In light of this goal, lectures and labs are presented from the experimental point of view.  Whenever possible, I present the fundamental experiments that led to the working models we are discussing.  All of your labs will have an experimental basis.  For each lab, I will give you a scenario that will provide the question for the experiment.  You will be expected to formulate a hypothesis and a prediction.    

 

Lecture:  Attendance at lectures is mandatory.  I will take attendance at the beginning of each class.  It is expected that you will come to class having read the material and that you will take good notes.  You may tape record the lecture if you wish.    

 

Laboratory:  Attendance at labs is mandatory.  If you miss a lab without making some arrangement ahead of time, you will automatically fail the course.  Labs are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.  If you can't make your regular lab, tell me by TUESDAY, and you may be able to switch lab periods.  Since most labs will take more than one lab period to complete, you may not be allowed to switch lab days for only one week.

 

Labs meet in room 209, Eaton Hall.

 

Homework:  Every week I will hand out a review sheet and a list of problems from the book.  Although I will not collect the homework, it is expected that every student will do these problems.  To help you with the homework and to prepare you for the exams, I will divide the class into formal study groups.  Each student is to complete the homework and then meet with their study group to compare answers.  I will have formal meetings with each study group before each exam. 

 

Grading:  Your overall grade for the course will be determined as follows:

                                Exam I                                     10%                        100 pts

                                Exam II                                   20%                        200 pts

                                Exam III                                  20%                        200 pts

                                Final Exam                                       25%                        250 pts

                                Lab Work                                      25%                        250 pts

                               

The exams will include material from lecture and lab; the final is comprehensive.  Exams 1, 2, and 3 are scheduled for September 27th, October 27th, and November 20th.  The final exam will be December 12th at 1:30 p.m.

 

NOTE:  EXAM III is scheduled for the Monday before Thanksgiving. NO early exams will be given; make your travel plans accordingly!

 

 

LABORATORY SCHEDULE: 

 

Date                                Topic                    

8/30 &31                                Effects of acid rain on seed germination (hypothesis testing)

9/6 & 7                                Data Analysis and Lab report formats                 

9/13 & 14                                DNA fingerprinting

9/20 & 21                                Data Analysis-DNA fingerprinting

9/27 & 28                                Testing for chemical mutagens using the Ames test

10/4 & 5                                Ames test continued- student designed Experiments

10/11 & 12                                Data Analysis- Ames test

10/18 & 19                                Testing Mendel's laws using D. melanogaster

                                Observe Parentals and F1's; set up F1 crosses

10/25 & 26                                Mendel's laws - Remove F1 parents

                                practice X2 analysis

11/1 & 2                                Mendel's laws - Count F2's

11/8 & 9                                A quantitative Enzyme Study: Catalase 

11/15 & 16                                Data analysis- Enzyme experiment

11/22 & 23                                Thanksgiving-NO LAB (YEA!)

11/29 &30                                Photosynthesis and the Hill Reaction

12/6 & 7                                Data analysis- Photosynthesis experiments

 

 

Topic                                                      Points                                *F or IF

·         Effects of acid rain on seed germination                                                   20                        IF                   

·         DNA fingerprinting                                                                                             50                        F                                            

·         The Ames Test                                                                                                                50                        F

·         Testing Mendel's laws using D. melanogaster                                                                      40                        IF                                           

·         A quantitative enzyme study: Catalase                                                                                 50                        F                                                                                            

·         Photosynthesis and the Hill Reaction                                                                         40                        IF                                           

 

*Requirements for formal and informal lab write-ups will be explained in lab.

F = Formal lab write-up.

I = informal lab write-up

 

Lecture Schedule

DATE

LECTURE TOPIC

CHAPTER

PAGES

Aug. 28

The Scientific Method and Hypothesis

Testing

1

2

13-19

43-46

Aug. 30

 

Cell Structure: prokaryotes vs.

eukaryotes.

7

 

102-127

 

Sept. 1

DNA Replication

16

278-289

Sept.4

DNA Replication

16

278-289

Sept. 6

Transcription: DNA to RNA

17

294-303

Sept. 8

Transcription: DNA to RNA

17

294-303

Sept.11

Translation: mRNA to Polypeptides

17

304-314

Sept. 13

Control of Gene Expression

18

337-341

Sept.15

Control of Gene Expression

19

351-357

Sept. 18

Gene Expression and Sex Determination

Not in Text

 

Sept. 20

Mutations and Cancer

19

358-359

Sept. 22

Mutation, the cell cycle, and cancer

12

217-221

Sept. 25

Mitosis

12

206-216

Sept. 27

EXAM I:  All Material up to and including cancer

-

-

Sept. 29

Mitosis

12

206-216

Oct. 2

Meiosis

13

226-237

Oct. 4

Meiosis

13

226-237

Oct. 6

Mendelian Genetics

14

239-247

Oct.  9

NO CLASS-  Fall Recess

 

 

Oct. 11

Extensions of Mendelian Genetics

14

247-252

Oct. 16

Human Genetics Diseases

14

252-258

Oct. 18

Linkage

15

261-271

Oct. 20

Linkage

15

261-271

Oct. 23

Membrane Dynamics

8

130-144

Oct. 25

Diffusion and Osmosis

8

130-144

Oct. 27

Exam II: Mitosis up to and including Human genetic diseases

-

-

Oct. 30

Diffusion and Osmosis

8

130-144

Nov. 1

Overview of cell communication

11

188-191

Nov. 3

Signal transduction pathways

11

192-200

Nov. 6

Cellular responses to signals

11

200-203

Nov. 8

Intracellular communication and protein targeting

17

310-311

Nov. 10

protein targeting

Not in text

 

No. 15

Metabolism: General Principles

6

83-90

Nov. 17

Enzymes and Metabolism

6

91-94

Nov. 20

EXAM III: Membrane dynamics to protein targeting

-

-

Nov. 22 & 24

Thanksgiving break

-

-

Nov. 27

Enzymes and Metabolism

6

95-99

Nov. 29

Photosynthesis

10

165-185

Dec. 1

Photosynthesis

10

165-185

Dec. 4

Respiration

9

147-166

Dec. 6

Respiration

9

147-166

Dec. 8

Ethanol metabolism

Not in Text

 

Dec. 12

 

FINAL EXAM-CUMULATIVE (300 pts)

1:30-4:30 pm