Molecular Biology of Eukaryotic Cells I (for undergraduate students)
Aim of Lecture
Life is maintained by exact duplication of living cells by cell division. The continuity of life results from various genetic mechanisms. One of the aims of this lecture is to understand various genetic mechanisms in a term of molecular biology. For example, DNA, the genetic material, forms chromatin structures in living cells. DNA sequence as well as its chromatin structures is duplicated correctly and the duplicated chromatins are separated equally into daughter cells. This complex process can be achieved by tight crosstalk of several essential systems such as DNA replication, chromatin conformation, checkpoints, cohesion, condensation, centromere function and mitotic cell division. Based on recent development in molecular and cellular biology, we will understand the essence of various important systems that are involved in precise genetic and epigenetic phenomena.
Text Book
“Molecular Biology of the Gene” The 5th Edition, J. Watson, Benjamin Commings (MBG)
“Molecular Biology of the Cell” The 4th Edition, B. Alberts, Garland Science (MBC)
“Gene” The 8th Edition, B. Lewin, Oxford (Gene)
Contents in Lecture (Schedule)
- (1) Chromatin structures in eukaryotic cells (MBG-chapter 7, MBC-chapter 4, Gene-chapter 19, 20)
- DNA, Gene, Genome, Chromatin and Nucleosome, their structures and functions
- (2) Functional regions of chromosome (MBG-chapter 7, MBC-chapter 4, Gene-chapter 19, 20)
- Centromere, Telomere, Heterochromatin, Histone code
- (3) Mechanism that duplicates DNA-1: Replication machinery (MBG-chapter 8, MBC-chapter 5, Gene-chapter 14)
- Discontinuous DNA synthesis (Okazaki fragment), DNA polymerases
- (4) Mechanism that duplicates DNA-2: Initiation in prokaryotes (MBG-chapter 8, MBC-chapter 5, Gene-chapter 14)
- Replicon theory, Mechanism of initiation in E. coli, Regulation of initiation
- (5) Mechanism that duplicates DNA-3: Initiation in eukaryotes (MBG-chapter 8, MBC-chapter 5, Gene-chapter 8-14)
- Origins of replication, Initiation complexes and cell cycle regulation, Replication licensing, Proteasome degradation
- Examination #1
- (6) Mechanisms that protect genetic information-1: Errors during replication (MBG-chapter 9,10, MBC-chapter 5, Gene-chapter 8-15)
- Proof reading of DNA polymerases, DNA repair
- (7) Mechanisms that protect genetic information-2: Repair and recombination (MBG-chapter 9,10, MBC-chapter 5, Gene-chapter 15)
- DNA damages, Repair enzymes, Recombination
- (8) Complexity of eukaryotic genomes-1: Repeated sequences (MBG-chapter 10, MBC-chapter 5, Gene-chapter 3, 4, 16, 17)
- Abundance of repeated sequences, Transposons
- (9) Complexity of eukaryotic genomes-2: Retroposons (MBG-chapter 10, MBC-chapter 5, Gene-chapter 3, 4, 16, 17)
- Reverse transcription, Retroviruses, HIV, Gene silencing
- (10) Gene expression (MBG-chapter 17,MBC-chapter 7, Gene-chapter 21, 22, 23, 24)
- Regulation of transcription in eukaryotes, Chromatin remodeling, Post-transcriptional regulation
- (11) Cell cycle regulation and checkpoint (MBG-chapter 7, MBC-chapter 17, Gene-chapter 29, 30)
- Concept of cell cycle and checkpoint regulation, Mitosis, Replication and damage checkpoints
- (12) Checkpoint regulation and Cancer (MBG-chapter 7, MBC-chapter 17, Gene-chapter 29, 30)
- Chromosome rearrangement, Mechanisms preventing cancer, Tumor suppressors
- Examination #2