PBIO 4500/5500: BIOTECHNOLOGY & GENETIC ENGINEERING (3 credits)
Time & Place: Tuesday & Thursday 12:00-1:20 PM; Porter 417
Instructor: Allan Showalter
Fall 2014
Text: Molecular Biotechnology (4th Edition) ©2010 by Bernard R. Glick, Jack J. Pasternak and
Cheryl L. Patten
Course web site: http://www.ohio.edu/plantbio/staff/showalte/PBIO%20450%20&%20550/
Prerequisites: PBIO1140 or BIOS 1700
Course Description:
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to basic molecular biological concepts and
techniques used in the fields of biotechnology and genetic engineering. Current experimentation
and progress in these fields as well as ethical considerations of this research will be discussed.
Learning Objectives:
 Gain an appreciation and knowledge of how to deal with ethical issues relating to science.
 Learn how to conduct a comprehensive literature review on a biological topic.
 Learn how to read and understand primary publications in the scientific literature.
 Learn how to present scientific research data to an audience.
 Gain an understanding of basic molecular and cellular biology concepts and techniques.
 Gain an understanding of current experimentation in biotechnology and genetic engineering.
Grades will be based on the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
A midterm exam on the first third of the course (100 points).
A midterm exam on the second third of the course (100 points).
A comprehensive final exam (100 points).
A graded, in-class presentation on a biotechnology or genetic engineering topic,
preferably a controversial one, to be approved by the instructor (50 points for PBIO 4500
students and 25 points for PBIO 5500 students). Each student will have to prepare a oneparagraph abstract of his or her presentation and a list of relevant references (including
the article titles) for distribution to the class. Graduate students enrolled in the course will
additionally have to submit an 8-10 page double spaced paper (25 points) on their chosen
topic following the format of a review paper in Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
(http://www.nature.com/nrm/index.html), being sure to include complete article titles for
all references.
5. Homework (50 points). Email answers to assigned homework questions to
showalte@ohio.edu as a MS Word attachment file. Chapter answer sets are given equal
grade weighting and are due each Monday by noon for the past week’s assignments.
Thus, there are 400 points possible. Typically, 93.3% and above will earn an A, 90-93.3% an A-,
86.7-90% a B+, 83.3-86.7% a B, 80-83.3% a B-, 76.7-80% a C+, 73.3-76.7% a C, 70-73.3% a C-,
66.7-70% a D+, 63.3-66.7% a D, 60-63.3% a D-, and below 60% an F.
Exams will be based upon material covered in class lectures as well as in the assigned readings.
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Office Hours:
By appointment, Porter Hall-Room 504 (phone: 740-593-1135 or email: showalte@ohio.edu)
Academic Conduct/Misconduct:
The penalty for course-related academic dishonesty (i.e., cheating on exams, plagiarism, etc.)
will be failure of the entire course along with a report of the incident being sent to University
Judiciaries. Note that University Judiciaries may impose additional sanctions, and students may
appeal academic sanctions through the grade appeal process. Cell phones must be turned off
during class; violators will be asked to bring treats for the class.
Attendance Policy:
Attendance is highly recommended. Any absences must be well justified and explained to the
instructor in advance in order to make up any of the graded material.
Intellectual Property:
The lectures, classroom activities, and all materials associated with this class and developed by
the instructor are copyrighted in the name of Allan Showalter on August 26, 2013.
Accommodations for Students with a Disability Policy:
Any student who suspects s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability
should contact the class instructor privately to discuss the student’s specific needs and provide
written documentation from the Office of Student Accessibility Services. If the student is not yet
registered as a student with a disability, s/he should contact the Office of Student Accessibility
Services.
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PBIO 4500/5500: BIOTECHNOLOGY AND GENETIC ENGINEERING
Fall 2014 - Syllabus
Instructor: Dr. Allan Showalter
WEEK DATE
CHAPTERS*
TOPICS
1
Aug. 26
Aug. 28
1
2
Introduction
DNA, RNA and protein synthesis
2
Sept. 2
Sept. 4
3
3
Recombinant DNA technology
Recombinant DNA technology
3
Sept. 9
Sept. 11
3
4
Recombinant DNA technology
DNA synthesis, amplification and sequencing
4
Sept. 16
Sept. 18
5
5
Bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics
Bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics
5
Sept. 23
Sept. 25
6, 7
-
Prokaryotic & eukaryotic gene expression
Exam I
6
Sept. 30
Oct. 2
9
10
Molecular diagnostics
Protein therapeutics
7
Oct. 7
Oct. 9
11
12
Nucleic acids as therapeutic agents
Vaccines
8
Oct. 14
Oct. 16
13
13
Genetic engineering of microbes
Genetic engineering of microbes
9
Oct. 21
Oct. 23
14
16
Bioremediation and biomass utilization
Microbial insecticides
10
Oct. 28
Oct. 30
18
Exam II
Genetic engineering of plants: methodology
11
Nov. 4
Nov. 6
19
20
Engineering plants to overcome stress
Engineering plant quality and proteins
12
Nov. 11
Nov. 13
21
21
Transgenic animals
Transgenic animals
13
Nov. 18
Nov. 20
22
23
Regulating the use of biotechnology
Societal issues in biotechnology
14
Nov. 25
Nov. 27
-
Class presentations
No Class (Thanksgiving Break)
15
Dec. 2
Dec. 4
-
Class presentations
Class presentations
Dec. 11 (Thursday) -
Final Exam (10:10 AM)
* Assigned readings are from chapters in your text, Molecular Biotechnology (4th Edition)
©2010 by Bernard R. Glick, Jack J. Pasternak and Cheryl L. Patten.
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SOME SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR YOUR CLASS PRESENTATIONS
(This list is merely a guide for potential topics; please consider other biotechnology/genetic
engineering topics that interest you at present or as the course progresses. Note that controversial
biotechnology/genetic engineering topics are perhaps the most interesting as you can present the
scientific information, the arguments “for” and “against” the technology, and your opinions.)
 Finding effective drugs to treat tuberculosis using a genetically engineered luciferase gene
 Using the polymerase chain reaction to detect disease-causing agents (e.g., HIV)
 Using restriction fragment length polymorphisms to detect genetic diseases
 Using genetically modified organisms to clean up the environment
 Production of human pharmaceuticals in the milk of genetically engineered farm animals
 Treating human brain tumors by gene therapy with the thymidine kinase gene
 The production of biodegradable plastics in plants
 The production of antibodies (i.e., plantibodies) in plants for medical use
 The production of a particular human pharmaceutical in bacteria
 Cause, detection, and treatment of a particular genetic disease (e.g., cystic fibrosis)
 Genetic engineering of transgenic fish (e.g., salmon) with growth hormone genes
 Production of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator for treating heart attacks
 Engineering organisms with the jellyfish green fluorescent protein to follow development
 The human genome project and the ethical considerations associated with it
 Mammalian cloning (i.e., the cloning of sheep or humans or pets)
 The use of gene knockouts to determine gene function
 Enhancer trap experiments to locate tissue-specific promoters
 Genetic engineering of herbicide-resistant plants
 Genetic engineering of insect-resistant plants
 Genetic engineering of “golden rice”
 Genetically engineering of disease-resistant farm animals
 Human gene therapy for SCID (Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease)
 Genomics application(s)
 DNA microarrays and the identification of genes associated with specific pathways
 Genetic screening for human diseases
 Proteomics application(s)
 Embryonic stem cell research and its applications for treating certain human diseases
 Biology and molecular biology of Bacillus anthracis, causative agent of Anthrax
 Biology and treatment of H1N1 (swine) influenza
 Marathon mice
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------INSTRUCTOR EVALUATION FORM FOR STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
STUDENT:
GRADE:
PRESENTATION FEEDBACK (i.e., comments on the organization and clarity of the talk, the
quality of the visual aids, the oral delivery/general "flow" of the talk, the scientific accuracy of
the information presented, and whether sufficient background information was presented):
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ASSIGNED HOMEWORK QUESTIONS
Email your answers to the homework questions for each assigned chapter to showalte@ohio.edu
as a Microsoft Word attachment file. Any diagrams or figures can be drawn by hand or with
another program and inserted into your Microsoft Word document. Chapter answer sets are given
equal grade weighting and are due each Monday by noon for the past week’s lecture material.
Chapter
Questions
1
2,5,6,10
2
1,2,3,5,12
3
1,2,3,4,5,8,9,10
4
2,3,4,5,8,9,10,11,12,13,16
5
1,2,3,7,10,11,14,15,17,19
6
1,3,6,8,20
7
1,2,3,7,10,11,13,14
9
1,3,4,5,9,12,15,17,18,21
10
1,5,10,11,12
11
1,2,3,7,8,11
12
1,2,3,4,5,7,15,16
13
1,4,9,10,12,17
14
2,5,12,13
16
3,4,9,15
18
1,2,3,4,5,6,10,11,15,16
19
1,2,4,6,7,8,11,15,16
20
1,3,9,14,17,19
21
1,2,3,4,5,6,8,10,13,15
22
1,2,4,5,6,8,10,13
23
3,4,6,7,9,12,13
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