MCB493. Advanced Cell Biology
This course is directed towards graduate students in Molecular Cell Biology, graduate students in the
physical sciences with an interest in cell biology, and advanced undergraduates who might be interested
in pursuing future graduate level training in cell biology.
Time and Place:
Lecture: 11:00 – 11:50 Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Armory 147
Text:
Primary Text:
Molecular Biology of the Cell, Alberts, et al, 5th Edition. Garland Science.
This is the all time classic text in cell biology. We will assign reading from this textbook that
must be read prior to attending class. The textbook serves simply as a review to refresh key
points about cells that were taught in MCB250 and MCB252.
Other relevant texts:
Molecular Cell Biology, Lodish, et al, 6th Edition. Scientific American Books
Cell Biology, Earnshaw and Pollard, 2nd Edition, Saunders Press.
Physical Biology of the Cell, Phillips, Kondev, and Theriot. Garland Science
Instructors:
Dr. Bill Brieher (Course Director)
B615 CLSL
wbrieher@illinois.edu Office Hours:
Monday 3-4 PM
Dr. Andrew Belmont
B509 CLSL
asbel@illinois.edu
Thursday 10-­‐11 AM. Office Hours:
TBA
Prerequisites:
Undergraduates must complete MCB250 and MCB252 with an average grade of B or higher in the two
courses. Undergraduates might find concurrent enrollment in MCB354 helpful, but it is not required.
Course Overview, Objectives, and Philosophy:
This is an exciting time in cell biology. We are moving beyond generating parts lists of which molecules
are required for what cellular processes. Cell biologists are now trying to understand how ensembles of
molecules perform complex functions. Old mysteries in cell biology are now within our reach of
experimental dissection. Cherished cell biological dogma and textbook models of the recent past are
increasingly challenged by new experiments. This course is for seriously interested students of cell
biology wishing to understand contemporary views of the molecular mechanisms controlling cell
function. Upon completion of this course, students should understand current views as to how cells
organize time and space, be able to critically analyze and interpret experimental data taken from the
primary literature, develop testable hypotheses regarding cellular function, and be able to design
experiments to test those hypotheses. To achieve these goals, lecture material will extend beyond the
textbook to include highlights from the current, primary literature. Whenever possible, attention will be
given to major controversies in the field to foster critical thinking. Concepts will be emphasized over
memorization of molecules. The names of certain, key molecules and organelles, however, are part of the
vocabulary of cell biology and thus necessary for scholarly discussion of the material. Therefore, it is
important that students read the assigned reading before class. In addition to the lectures and reading
assignments, I will assign weekly problem sets. Problem sets are an integral part of learning the material
and will be indicative of the types of questions asked on the exams. The purposes of the problem sets are
to teach students how to interpret experimental data, formulate hypotheses, and design experiments to test
such hypotheses.
Course Outline:
Genome Organization and Parts. (Belmont) 2 lectures
Chromatin and Chromosome Structure. (Belmont) 4 lectures
Transcription and Chromatin / Nuclear Structure 4 lectures Belmont
DNA replication 2 lectures (Belmont)
Nuclear Organization and Disease 1 lecture (Belmont)
Protein targeting and membrane trafficking. (Brieher) 6 lectures. How can cells secrete and
internalize massive amounts of material yet retain organelle identity?
Historical roots of the secretory pathway
Maintaining organelle identity
How cells select cargo for the secretory pathway
How cells build vesicles
How cells fuse membranes
Cytoskeletal organization and dynamics. (Brieher) 6 lectures. How do cells shape the cytoskeleton
and harness its dynamics to perform work?
Polymerization dynamics
Coupling polymerization to nucleotide hydrolysis
Molecular motors
Signaling to the cytoskeleton
Morphogenesis of complex cytoskeletal arrays
Cell adhesion and extracellular matrix. (Brieher) 6 lectures. How do cells specifically adhere and
respond to different surfaces?
Specificity of cell adhesion
Regulating adhesion
Linking adhesion molecules to the cytoskeleton
Signaling through adhesion molecules
Cell division cycle. (Brieher) 6 lectures. How do cells faithfully duplicate their contents and segregate
them to make two daughter cells?
Ordering the events of the cell cycle
Duplicating the genome
Preparing chromosomes for mitosis
Segregating the genome
Checkpoints that monitor cell cycle progression
Segregating the cytoplasm
Rebuilding an interphase cell and preparing for the next cell cycle
Organization and dynamics of a complex tissue. (Brieher) 2 lectures
Cell Biology of Cancer. 2 lectures (Belmont)
-­‐––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-­‐ Course Mechanics:
Reading Assignments:
Reading assignments will be posted on line before class. You must familiarize yourself with the reading
material before class because the lectures will assume you understand the reading material.
Lectures
There will be three 50-minute lectures every week. Lectures extend from the material covered in the
reading assignment and try to cover new developments in the field, current controversies, or new
frontiers. We make every effort to limit memorization of molecules as much as possible and will
emphasize instead the scientific method used to push cell biology forwards. Therefore, the design of new
experiments and interpretation of data is more important than memorizing long lists of molecules.
Problem Sets
Weekly homework will be handed out every Monday and due the following Monday. A model answer
key for the current problem set will be posted on line on the evening the problem set is due. Problem sets
will not be graded, but we will look them over to determine the amount of effort you are putting into the
problem sets. Your efforts on the problem sets will not only help you tremendously on the exams but will
also be used to determine borderline grades. We encourage you to discuss problems in the homework
assignments with your classmates, but strongly advise you to try to solve the problems yourself first.
Please review the model answers to the problem sets and make sure you understand them. If you still do
not understand an answer to a problem, then please seek us out at office hours for help.
Exams
There will be three exams: two midterms and a non-comprehensive final. Examinations will take place in
the evening. Problems on the exams will cover material from the reading, lectures and problem sets.
Again, the problem sets assigned for homework tend to represent the types of questions we ask on exams.
The exams are closed book but you are permitted an 8 ½ X 11inch “cheat sheet” but no magnifying
optical aids.
The exams are:
Monday Feb 20 6:30 PM -9:30 PM
Wednesday March 28 6:30 PM -9:30 PM
Monday May 7 6:30 PM -9:30 PM
Evaluation
Each exam is worth 33.333% of the entire grade.
Performance on homework assignments will influence borderline grades.