The Molecular and Cell Biology major has 5 emphases,
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB), Cell & Developmental
Biology (CDB), Genetics, Genomics & Development (GG&D),
Immunology, and Neurobiology. There are further refinements within BMB
and Immunology (tracks 1 & 2 in each). A descriptive paragraph or
two for each shows below, with the course requirements on another web
page.
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (BMB) Emphasis
The study of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is one of the most
rapidly advancing and exciting areas in biology today. One of the
unique characteristics of BMB is the natural and complementary fusion
of incredibly powerful molecular biological methodologies such as
cloning, gene splicing and gene expression with the classical
biochemical strategies for dissecting structure and function of
macromolecules. A major emphasis which distinguishes BMB is the
rigorous and reductionist approach to defining living systems in
biochemical terms. Recently, our ability to take apart complex
biological processes and machinery such as those governing DNA
replication, transcription, transposition, recombination, protein
synthesis, and RNA processing, have greatly advanced our understanding
of the living cell. Moreover, the high resolution capabilities of X-ray
crystallography, 2-D NMR, and other structural biological strategies
have opened new horizons and greatly extended our insight concerning
the function and structure of important biological molecules. The
combined approaches of molecular biology and biochemistry have
consequently played a major role in unraveling many complex biological
processes such as development, differentiation, mutagenesis, gene
regulation, pathogenesis, oncogenesis, and aging. Perhaps the most
exciting and invigorating aspect of these studies is that they can be
done by individual students armed with little more than keen interest,
curiosity, and relatively simple laboratory techniques.
The major program has two tracks. Track 1, Biochemistry & Molecular
Biology, comprises 6 upper-division courses. Track 2, Biological
Chemistry comprises 7 upper-division courses.
Cell & Developmental Biology (CDB) Emphasis
Cell biology and developmental biology are two closely related
disciplines at the very heart of the biological sciences. Cell
biology focuses on understanding the mechanisms by which the basic
functions of homeostasis, gene regulation, ion transport, growth and
division, secretion, signalling and locomotion are achieved at the
molecular and cellular levels. Thus, cell biology links the more
reductionist fields of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology and
structural biology to the study of organ systems and whole organisms in
the fields of developmental biology, immunology, neurobiology and
physiology.
Because cell biologists seek to understand how cells function both
under normal conditions and in disease states such as cancer, cystic
fibrosis, diabetes and muscular dystrophy, the CDB emphasis constitutes
a “middle road” for those planning medical careers. In addition
to the standard techniques of biochemistry and molecular biology, cell
biologists employ a powerful array of optical and physiological
techniques to measure and manipulate the location and concentration of
ions and molecules within living cells and subcellular organelles, and
even the forces exerted by cells on their surroundings.
Developmental biologists seek to provide an explanation for how mature
organisms arise from a single cell, i.e. the fertilized egg. To
succeed in this will ultimately require understanding how all the basic
cell biological processes are orchestrated, with stunning intricacy and
precision, by dynamic arrays of cells in the developing embryo.
Another central issue in biology is that of how developmental processes
in ancient life forms were modified during evolution to give rise to
the diversity of modern plants and animals. To approach this question,
it is necessary to compare developmental processes in different
organisms. In this department, developmental studies are carried
out on annelids, arthropods, chordates, echinoderms, nematodes and
yeast.
Genetics, Genomics & Development The Division of
Genetics, Genomics and Development represents the biological
disciplines most transformed by the genome sequences of an
ever-increasing spectrum of life. The research and courses of this
Division stress the mechanisms these genomes use to program the orderly
development of diverse organisms including humans, classical model
organisms (bacteria, yeast, worms, flies, fish, frogs) and other
species representing pivotal nodes in evolution. In addition, GG&D
explores how sequence variation leads to phenotypic differences among
individuals, and how these differences are inherited and fixed by
natural selection. Emerging foci of the division concern how changes in
the sequences that control animal development have contributed to the
diversification of animal form and function, and dissecting how cells
with the same genome can stably and heritably express different
portions of their genomes.
Many advanced genomic methods have been
developed and widely adopted within the Division. Methodologies such as
RNA, homologous gene knockouts, transposon tagging, transgenics,
antisense-mediated translational silencing, genome sequencing,
expression profiling, mass spectrometry and computational biology are
transforming the fields of cellular and organismal biology. These
experimental methods place even the most complex problems within reach
of the functional analysis that puts genetic studies at the forefront
of modern biology.
Recent research advances in the Division include
revealing the mechanism of sex determination in Drosophila and C.
elegans, identifying and dissecting regulatory sequences that govern
gene activation, providing insight into vertebrate germ layer
specification and segmentation, working out the molecular basis of
pattern formation in invertebrates and chordates, deciphering the
mechanism of heterochromatin formation, understanding the regulation of
transposon activity, describing the control of cell migrations in
development, and discovering a new mode of gene regulation using
alternative splicing and mRNA degradation.
The students and faculty of
this Division will play critical roles in addressing the central
problems that biology faces in this century, such as interpreting the
variation in human and other genomes, learning the circuitry by which
organisms develop, defining how specialized chromatin structures
template their own replication, genetically manipulating organisms for
scientific, health, and practical interests, and developing an active
interface between computation and experimentation to exploit the
enormous size and complexity of datasets characteristic of modern
biology. Join us in unraveling some of modern biology’s most exciting
problems!
Immunology Emphasis Humans inhabit an environment teeming with microbes and their toxins.
The omnipresent threat of infection and the emergence of new infectious
diseases has catapulted immunology to the forefront of modern
biomedical science. Immunology is the study of the cellular and
biochemical mechanisms which protect us from these threats.
Infectious agents such as human immunodeficiency virus which causes
AIDS and immune-based diseases such as asthma have increased the public
awareness about the importance of immunology in examining the causes
and treatments of these diseases. Immunology is unique amongst
the natural sciences in that it covers and integrates aspects of modern
biological science including cell and developmental biology,
biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology.
Using approaches from many disciplines and techniques as diverse as
recombinant DNA, flow cytometry, physical chemistry, mouse
transgenesis, and targeted mutation in mice, immunologists have made
major advances and striking discoveries leading to an ever-growing
understanding of the immune system. We continue to explore
questions such as how the immune system distinguishes self from
non-self, how antibodies, T cells and natural killer cells specifically
recognize and distinguish millions of different foreign invaders, why
some individuals are more susceptible to the development of autoimmune
diseases, and how the immune system rejects transplanted organs but
often fails to reject tumors. In addition, immunologists study
questions of broader biological significance including how gene
expression is regulated during animal development, the biochemistry and
regulation of gene rearrangement, the mechanism and function of immune
surveillance, and the control of programmed cell death.
These recent advances in basic knowledge have in turn led to potential
treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancers, new approaches to the
design of effective vaccines, strategies to combat AIDS, and treatments
to prevent tissue transplant rejection. Students with an emphasis
in Immunology will be exposed not only to the unique aspects of the
immune system but also to a broad array of disciplines across the full
spectrum of modern biomedical sciences.
This major program has two tracks. Track 1, Immunology, comprises 6
upper-division courses, as does Track 2, Infectious Diseases.
Neurobiology Emphasis
Neurobiology majors receive basic training in molecular and cell
biology with a specialized training in neurobiology. The major
provides an excellent knowledge of neuroscience and related sciences
and is designed to prepare students for careers in scientific research,
medicine and medical specialities involving the nervous system
(neurology, psychiatry, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, optometry and
physiotherapy), and biotechnology. As a field, modern
neurobiology is less than 30 years old, but is now the largest single
scientific discipline in the country. Over 40 faculty on campus
conduct research in this area, which illustrates the diversity of the
field,
the resources available to majors, and the commitment of the University
to its study.
|
