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[MBBP] Molecular Biology Primer and Biotechnology Program

Lecturer

Professor Horst Klump, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, will lecture on the thermodynamics and kinetics of protein folding and ligand binding and will discuss the structures of nucleic acid structures including, DNA, RNA and ribozymes. Professor Klump is internationally renowned for his work on DNA triple helices.

Main Outcomes

On completion of the module, students will have achieved the following:

  • A understanding of various molecular biology techniques
  • A knowledge of how these various techniques can be applied in their research programs.
  • Skill in interpreting and recording experiments.
  • An understanding of how to use the bioinformatics software required for entry level research molecular biology.
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Main Content

  • Molecular biology techniques such as
    • PCR
    • Cloning
    • Restriction analysis
    • Protein expression
    • Manipulation of bacteria
  • Specialist Topic (for example)
    • Gene targeting (RNAi)
  • Bioinformatics training

This module descriptor document also can be downloaded as an MS-Word document.

Home Department: Biotechnology (UWC)
Credit Value: 10 Credits
Duration: 5 Weeks
Module Type: D
Level: 8
Prerequisites: None
Co-requisites: None
Prohibited combinations: None
Learning time breakdown (hours):
Contact with lecturer/tutor: 175
Assignments & tasks: 10
Tests & examinations: 5
Practicals: 0
Selfstudy: 10
Total Learning Time 200
Methods of Student Assessment: Assignments – 10%
Tests – 10%
Oral Presentations – 10%
Lab reports – 10%
Examination – 30%
Bioinformatics exercises – 30%
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Syllabus

Section A

  • Helix coil theory of biopolymers.
  • Native and denatured states of proteins.
  • Protein folding; thermodynamics and kinetics.
  • Nucleic acid structures: global and local.
  • Origins of nucleic acid stability.
  • Ligand binding.
  • Principles of recognition: Thermodynamics.
  • Principle of recognition: structure.
  • Reconciliation of thermodynamics and structure.

Section B

Structural Biology Module “NUCLEIC ACIDS” by Prof H H Klump

  • The Double Helix – 50 years : Introduction
  • There was not only one paper published in Nature 171- 1953 but three; Have you ever read them?
  • DNA: the biological molecule
  • Ten years of tension: single-molecule DNA mechanics
  • DNA in the material world
  • The digital code of DNA
  • Controlling the double helix and its thermodynamics
  • The world of branched and multi-stranded DNA structures
  • DNA misfolding and disaster; triplet repeat diseases
  • The transfer RNA identity problem
  • iRNA, a new class of RNAs implicated in gene silencing

Molecular biology techniques such as

  • PCR
  • Cloning
  • Restriction analysis
  • Protein expression
  • Manipulation of bacteria

Specialist Topic (for example)

  • Gene targeting (RNAi)

Bioinformatics training

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