Microbiology 201:
Molecular Biology of the Bacterial Cell

Spring Semester 2013
Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00am to 12:00 noon
NRB1031

Description

This course is devoted to bacterial structure, physiology, genetics, and regulatory mechanisms. The class consists of lectures and group discussions emphasizing methods, results, and interpretations of classic and contemporary literature.

Instructors: David Rudner, Thomas Bernhardt, Ann Hochschild, Simon Dove
Curriculum Fellow: Zofia Gajdos

Rudner: rudner@hms.harvard.edu (432-4455)
Bernhardt: thomas_bernhardt@hms.harvard.edu (432-6971)
Hochschild: ann_hochschild@hms.harvard.edu (432-1986)
Dove: simon.dove@childrens.harvard.edu (919-2888)
Gajdos: Zofia_Gajdos@hms.harvard.edu (432-1871)

Syllabus

Date Class Instructor Topic Required Reading Background Reading Extra
             
01/29 Class 1 Rudner Introduction to the Bacterial Cell
01/31 Class 2 Bernhardt Protein Secretion and the Sec system
3, 4, 5
02/05 Class 3 Bernhardt The cell envelope and lipoprotein transport
02/07 Class 4 Bernhardt Envelope stress responses
02/12 Class 5 Bernhardt Peptidoglycan and cell shape determination
3, 4
02/14 Class 6 Bernhardt Cell division and its control
3, 4
02/19 Class 7 Bernhardt Cell motility and trans-envelope machines
3, 4
02/21 Class 8 Bernhardt Phage vs. Host
3, 4
  
02/26 Class 9 Hochschild Transcription and its regulation
3, 4
02/28 Class 10 Hochschild Transcription and its regulation continued
03/05 Class 11 Hochschild Oxidative stress and metal homeostasis
2, 3, 4
03/07 Class 12 Hochschild Recombination/Repair and the SOS-response
03/12 Class 13 Hochschild Recombination/Repair continued
2, 3
03/14 Class 14 Hochschild Transposons
3, 4, 5
spring break
03/26 Class 15 Hochschild Protein folding and protein quality control
2, 3
03/28 Class 16 Rudner DNA replication and its control
3, 4
04/02 Class 17 Rudner Plasmids and their segregation
3, 4
04/04 Class 18 Rudner Chromosome organization/segregation
3, 4, 5
04/09 Class 19 Rudner Cell-cell Signaling
3, 4, 5
04/11 Class 20 Rudner Checkpoints  
04/16 Class 21 Rudner Development
3, 4
04/18 Class 22 Dove Translation and protein degradation  
04/23 Class 23 Dove RNA degradation
04/25 Class 24 Dove Small RNAs
2, 3
04/30 Class 25 Dove Small RNAs continued  
05/02 Class 26 Gajdos Transcription regulation of metabolism
05/07 Class 27 Dove Second Messengers
05/09 Class 28 Dove Bistability and phase variation
2, 3

Problem set handed out