MBBT 22034

>< Type/Status : Core
>< Course title : Introduction to Molecular and Microbial Biology
>< Objective: At the end of the course the student will be able to demonstrate
(i) Knowledge and understanding of reproduction and maintenance of major groups of microorganisms, and their molecular basis,
(ii) Understanding and basic skills in microbiological and molecular biological techniques.
>< Course content:

Characteristic features, and reproduction of prokaryotes: archaebacteria and eubacteria. Characteristic features and reproduction of fungi. Antibiotics and chemotherapeutics and their use in control of microorganisms. Lytic and lysogenic cycles of bacteriophages. Growth and maintenance of other viruses. Protein conformation and versatility of protein structures. Secondary structures of nucleic acids. Alternative double-helical structures of DNA. Supercoiling of DNA. Introduction to viral, bacterial and eukaryotic genomes and their organization.

Laboratory exercises on techniques related to observation of microorganisms. Isolation of bacteria and fungi. Enumeration of bacteria. Bacteriophages: induction of lysogens, demonstration of lytic process. Preparation of buffers and other reagents used in molecular biological experiments. Isolation and purification of bacterial chromosomal DNA and plasmid DNA.

>< Methodology: Lectures, tutorials and laboratory exercises.
>< Scheme of evaluation: End of course written examination and continuous assessments.
>< Recommended reading:
01. Tortora, G. J., Funke, B. R. and Case, C. L. (1998). Microbiology. Benjamin Cummings.
02. Allas, R. M. (1996). Microbiology: Fundamentals and Applications. W M C Brown.
03. Prescott, L. M., Harley, J. P. and Klein, D. A. (1996). Microbiology. 3rd edition. W M C Brown.
04. Elliott, W.H. and Elliot, D.C. (1997). Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Oxford University.
05. Sambrook, J., Fritsch, E. F. and Maniatis, T. (1989). Molecular Cloning. A Laboratory Manual. 2nd edition. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

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