MOLECULAR B IOS CIENCES MINICOURS ES S P RING 2014
DAVID AXELROD: C ANCER G ENES AND C ELLS
16:695:621
De s c rip tio n : After successfully completing this course, students will have gained knowledge of
cancer as the consequence of abnormal processes at the genetic, molecular, and cellular levels.
They will have learned how some of that knowledge has been obtained and will appreciate what is
not yet known. They will be able to critically evaluate published experimental cancer literature, to
identify fruitful new avenues of research, and to propose new experiments to learn more about
these processes. They will have had experience in communicating their ideas effectively in oral
and written formats.
S IOBAIN DUFFY: E VOLUTION OF E MERGING VIRUS ES
16:695:622
De s c rip tio n : Evolution is the unifying principle of all biological sciences, including molecular
biology. The mechanisms by which enzymes, genes and non-coding regions of genomes have
evolved are important to study, and molecular evolution is a mature and robust field. This course
will expose students to the principles of evolution, with a heavy emphasis on molecular evolution,
using fast-evolving viruses as the example. This course will also therefore give students a broad
background in the diverse RNA and single-stranded DNA viruses that frequently emerge in novel
hosts. After successfully completing this course, students will have an increased understanding of
molecular evolution, its applications in the literature, and the unique features of viral genomic
architectures and ecology that influence their evolution. The presentations, class discussion and
exam will emphasize unpacking figures from published papers, and students will learn how better
to interpret and present research figures.
S AM G U & MIKEL ZARATIEGUI: NONCODING R EGULATORY RNA
16:695:623
De s c rip tio n : The ability of non-coding RNA to trigger specific chromatin responses and long-term
epigenetic effects has been found in eukaryotic organisms from yeast to humans. Research in this
area has profound implications for understanding genome-environment interaction and
inheritance of expression states relevant to human development and disease. This course will
cover some of the key mechanisms in the topic.
WILMA O LSON:G ENETIC S YSTEMS AND S TRUCTURES
16:695:624
De s c rip tio n : The packaging of genomes is complicated by the necessity of maintaining the
accessibility of DNA for genetic processing. The binding of various proteins to DNA plays an
important role in reading and compacting the genome. This short course will address the interplay
between local and large-scale biomolecular structure and function, including the contributions of
regulatory and architectural proteins to the organization of DNA and the control of genetic
expression. Students successfully completing this course will have gained a working knowledge of
the three-dimensional structures and dynamics of representative protein-DNA systems and a new
appreciation of the large-scale macromolecular organization of DNA and chromatin gleaned from
genetic and single-molecule experiments. In addition, the skills required for critical evaluation of
the literature and presentation of scientific data will be honed.
WENWEI HU AND ZHAOHUI F ENG : P 53
16:695:625
De s c rip tio n : p53, which was discovered in 1979, is the most frequently mutated tumor
suppressor gene in human cancer. In the past 30 years, the function of p53 has been the subject
of intensive research, and new revelations about p53 function have not declined with age. p53
functions as a node in numerous signaling pathways to regulate many important biological
activities. In addition to its pivotal role in tumor suppression, recent studies have shown that p53 is
critically involved in many other physiological and pathological processes. Furthermore, it is clear
that p53 is therapeutically important and many approaches are being taken to reconstitute its
function in tumors. In this course, we will introduce some of our current understanding of p53
function by giving 2 lectures and using 6 examples from the current literature. Students that
successfully complete this course will gain a rich knowledge of tumor suppressor p53 and its
signaling pathway in cancer and other diseases. In addition, students will learn the skills to
critically evaluate the literature and scientifically present a paper.
DAVID AXELROD: C ANCER AND C LINICAL O NCOLOGY
16:695:626
De s c rip tio n : After successfully completing this course, students will have gained knowledge of
some of the properties of cancer cells and tissues that have a clinical impact. They will have
learned how that knowledge has been obtained and translated to improve diagnosis, prognosis
and therapy of cancer patients. They will also appreciate what has not yet been achieved. They
will be able to critically evaluate published cancer literature, to identify fruitful new avenues of
research, and to propose new experiments that could provide experimental results that could be
translated into patient benefit. They will have had experience in communicating their ideas
effectively in oral and written formats.
KIRAN MADURA: UNDERSTANDING THE UBIQUITIN/PROTEAS OME SYSTEM AND ITS INVOLVEMENT IN DISEASE
16:695:627
De s c rip tio n : The degradation of cellular proteins is essential for many biochemical mechanisms
including DNA replication, transcription and repair, cell cycle control, response to environmental
stresses, and the elimination of damaged proteins. The primary mechanism of intracellular protein
turnover involves the ubiquitin/proteasome system (UPS). In contrast to most scientific disciplines,
this is a new area of inquiry (the basic biochemistry was unraveled in the early 1990's) and
earned three scientists the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004. The biological and clinical
significance of the UPS has emerged more recently (during the past 10-15 years). It is now clear
that a failure in the ubiquitin/proteasome system contributes significantly to many maladaptive and
disease conditions, including cancers which have increased UPS activity, and neurodegenerative
conditions that are associated with reduced activity. The focus of this course is two-fold. Several
lectures will begin by characterizing the mechanism of intracellular protein degradation. These
discussions will refer to seminal papers in the field, and will also consider key methodological
approaches that were used to address scientific questions. The course will conclude with a
consideration of the disease implications. The proteasome is a multi catalytic protease in the
UPS, and is a target for inhibition in the treatment of multiple myeloma and other diseases.
Several additional cancers that might be treated with proteasome inhibitors are under
investigation, demonstrating the relevance of the UPS in clinical therapy.
MICHAEL VERZI & KELVIN KWAN: P LURIPOTENT AND S OMATIC S TEM C ELLS
16:695:628
De s c rip tio n : Somatic and pluripotent stem cells are likely the most important source for healthy
tissue regeneration and cancer. This course will engage in discussions and lectures to develop
concepts and hypotheses surrounding the identity and functions of stem cells. This will be
accomplished using intestinal and pluripotent stem cells as model cellular systems. After
successfully completing this course, students should be able to design approaches to identify and
functionally characterize somatic stem cells. They should be able to develop approaches to use
stem cells in regenerative medicine or as targets for cancer therapy and prevention.
ANDY S INGSON: G ENETICS AND C ELL B IOLOGY OF F ERTILIZATION
16:695:629
De s c rip tio n : The union of sperm and egg is required for the propagation of all sexually
reproducing species. The underlying molecular mechanisms of fertilization are also paradigms for
other important cell-cell interactions during development. After successfully completing this
course, students will have gained a broad perspective of the field of fertilization that will include a
historical point of view as well as an understanding of the current challenges in reproductive
biology.
DEANNE TAYLOR: INTRODUCTION TO S YS TEMS B IOLOGY
16:695:630
De s c rip tio n : Systems biology is a field that aims to provide an integrative, system-level
understanding of biology through the modeling of experimental data. The course covers an
introduction to specific applications of systems-level analysis of genomic and genetic data, with
supportive background to the primary literature assignments. Topics covered are in the analysis of
interaction networks, regulatory networks and modeling of metabolic and physiological systems.
Students will have hands-on experience with analysis of biological networks with assignments that
walk them through data analysis sourced from primary literature. After successfully completing
this course, students will have exposure to algorithmic methods and publicly available tools for
analysis and modeling of complex biological networks, including strengths and weaknesses of
each approach. They will be aware of major projects underway in functional genomics and
genetics and what data and resources are available for systems-level analysis.
DAVID MARGOLIS & KELVIN KWAN: NEURAL C IRCUIT MICROS COP Y
16:695:631
De s c rip tio n : Lectures will be designed to discuss cutting-edge techniques used to map neuronal
circuits. The lectures will revolve around how to use microscopy techniques to address challenges
and questions facing the field. The assigned reading will be seminal work that answered these
challenges/questions. The class begins with lectures on the microscopy technique followed by
discussion of the assigned reading and culminates by introducing the next big question/challenge
and assigning the paper that addresses it. After successfully completing this course, students
should be able to design approaches to map, identify and characterize neuronal circuits. Students
will come away with an understanding of how to use various powerful microscopy techniques to
answer key questions in neuroscience.
B EATRICE HAIMOVICH: TOLL-LIKE R ECEP TORS IN HEALTH AND DIS EAS E
16:695:632
De s c rip tio n : Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and inflammasomes are protein complexes that become
activated in response to a variety of pathogen-derived and host-cell derived noxious insults. In this
course we will examine mechanisms by which TLRs and inflammasomes regulate inflammatory
responses, and link these processes to host homeostasis as well as human diseases. After
successfully completing this course, students will have a working knowledge of TLRs and how
inflammasomes function in host defense. The classes will emphasize student-led critical
evaluation and discussion of current literature.
J IM MILLONIG & E MANUEL DICICCO -B LOOM: NEURODEVELOP MENTAL DISORDERS
16:695:634
The goal of this course is to teach the molecular, developmental and genetic bases of autism
spectrum disorder and related Mendelian diseases (e.g., Fragile X, Rett, Tuberous Sclerosis and
Timothy syndromes). Each week seminal papers will be discussed by Emanuel DiCicco-Bloom
MD, a developmental neurobiologist and child neurologist, and Jim Millonig PhD, a molecular
geneticist. Papers will be selected that have led to greater understanding of the underlying
pathology and the development of new treatments. A variety of cutting edge techniques such as
immortalized pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) will be introduced and the positives and negatives of
these approaches will be discussed. Each week one disease will be examined with Dr Millonig
leading the molecular genetic aspects while Dr DiCicco-Bloom will focus on the developmental
studies. By the end of this minicourse students should have a greater understanding of these
diseases, how scientific advances have led to the development of new treatments and the
challenges facing the generation of new therapies.
R ANDY MC KINNON: R EGENERATIVE MEDICINE - S TEM C ELL THERAP Y
16:695:635
De s c rip tio n : The 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Drs. Gurdon (UK) and
Yamanaka (Japan) for cellular reprogramming. This course will consider the biological rationale
for using reprogrammed cells in molecular medicine, then dive into the details of what this
technology is and why it holds so much promise. The emphasis will be on molecular mechanisms
of cell lineage determination. After successfully completing this course, students will gain a
working knowledge of the current status of stem cells (biology, engineering, reprogramming, and
therapeutics). A primary focus will be to give students the skill sets necessary to critically read and
evaluate the biomedical literature, and to gain experience in presenting scientific data.
MIKE HAMP S EY: C ANCER C ELL METABOLIS M
16:695:636
De s c rip tio n : A characteristic of all cancer cells, including well-oxygenated tumors, is the
“Warburg Effect,” defined as the massive uptake of glucose and its metabolism by “aerobic
glycolysis,” rather than by the more energy efficient process of respiration. The Warburg Effect is
the basis of one of most definitive cancer diagnostics: PET scan of tissues that take up radio
labeled 19F-2-deoxyglucose, a non-matabolizable glucose analog. Despite having first been
reported in 1923, the Warburg Effect remains unexplained. This course will focus on metabolic
pathways that have gone awry in cancer cells. The format will include presentation and critical
discussion of recent results from the literature. Emphasis will be placed on what we don’t know
about cancer cell metabolism, in the context of established metabolic pathways. The resurgence
of interest in the Warburg Effect, and the new research opportunities that this affords, will be a
major theme.