<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div>December 18, 2007</div></span></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">TO: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Biology Majors</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">FROM: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>H. Robert Horvitz, Professor of Biology</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> I am writing to inform you of the exciting Advanced Undergraduate Seminar courses being offered by the Department of Biology for the Spring 2008 term. A complete list of the courses, instructors, and brief course descriptions are enclosed. The topics are highly varied and encompass areas of biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, developmental biology, immunology, ecology, biotechnology and human disease. A student can take any number of these courses. The courses, which generally involve four to eight students, are for 6 units, graded pass/fail, and meet two hours each week. The focus is on reading and discussing the primary research literature. Most courses have two short written assignments. Some include field trips to MIT research laboratories or to commercial sites using technologies discussed in the courses. The level of each course will be tailored to the students who enroll. Because of the small size of these courses, we expect students not to drop these courses once they have begun.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> These courses offer a number of special features: small class size, a high degree of personal contact with the instructor, a focus on the primary research literature, and an opportunity to discuss current problems in biology interactively. I believe these courses greatly enrich an undergraduate’s experience. There are limited alternative opportunities available to undergraduates to interact closely with instructors who are experienced full-time researchers; to learn to read, understand, and analyze primary research papers; and to engage in the type of stimulating discussions and debates that characterize how science is really done. Most advanced MIT undergraduates (generally juniors and seniors) have been sufficiently exposed to the basics of biology to be able to read the primary literature and appreciate both methodologies and cutting-edge advances. These courses have two goals: first, to expose students to the kind of thinking that is central to contemporary biological research; and second, to impart specific knowledge in particular areas of biology. These courses are designed to be intellectually stimulating and also to provide excellent preparation for a variety of future careers that require an understanding both of what modern biology is and of how it is done. Students who have taken Advanced Undergraduate Seminars in the past (different specific courses, same general design) have been enormously enthusiastic about their experiences.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> I am writing to you before Registration Day to encourage you to consider enrolling in one of these seminar courses. Please feel free to contact any of the instructors to learn more about their courses. To learn more about the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars to be offered during the Spring 2008 semester, please check our website (<a href="http://mit.edu/biology/www/undergrad/adv-ugsem.html">http://mit.edu/biology/www/undergrad/adv-ugsem.html</a>) and/or contact the instructors.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>Spring 2007-2008</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>7.341 Under the Radar Screen: How Pathogens Evade Immune Surveillance</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Instructors: Gijsbert Grotenbreg (<a href="mailto:grotenbreg@wi.mit.edu">grotenbreg@wi.mit.edu</a>; 4-2081; laboratory of Hidde Ploegh) John Antos (<a href="mailto:antos@wi.mit.edu">antos@wi.mit.edu</a>; 4-2081; laboratory of Hidde Ploegh)</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Spring 2008. Wednesdays, 3 pm - 5 pm. Room 68-151.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Why are infectious diseases such as HIV, mycobacterium tuberculosis, malaria or influenza thriving today and killing millions of people each year? These diseases are threats because our immune system sometimes fails. Although we are equipped to effectively counter most attacks from the microbial world, some pathogens have developed ways to evade both our innate and adaptive immune barriers to ensure their own survival. The strategies used by these viruses, bacteria or parasites are numerous, but all target specific branches and pathways of our immune defenses. In this course, we will explore the specific ways by which microbes defeat our immune system and the molecular mechanisms that are under attack (Toll-like receptors, the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway, MHC I/II antigen presentation). Through our discussion and dissection of the primary research literature, we will analyze numerous aspects of host-pathogen interactions. We will particularly emphasize the experimental techniques used in the field and how to read and understand research data. Technological advances in the fight against microbes will also be discussed, with specific examples. These sessions will highlight the interplay among different disciplines of biology and the fact that much can be learned about the fundamental properties of our immune system through the study of immune evasion.</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>7.342 Developmental and Molecular Biology of Regeneration.</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Instructor: Christian Petersen (<a href="mailto:petersen@wi.mit.edu">petersen@wi.mit.edu</a>; 324-2132; laboratory of Peter Reddien)</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Spring 2008. Thursdays, 3 pm - 5 pm. Room 68-151.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Regeneration is widespread throughout the animal kingdom. Remarkably, planarian flatworms and hydra can regenerate an entirely new body. Salamanders can regenerate entirely new limbs, and fish can regenerate fins, spinal cords, and even heart tissue. Mammals can regenerate digit tips, liver, and hair. Mammals also maintain blood, skin and gut throughout adulthood. How does a regenerating animal “know” what is missing? How are stem cells or differentiated cells used to create new tissues during regeneration? We will take a comparative approach to explore this fascinating problem by critically examining classic and modern scientific literature about the developmental and molecular biology of regeneration. We will learn about conserved developmental pathways that are necessary for regeneration, and we will discuss the relevance of these findings for human medicine.</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>7.343 Sophisticated Survival Skills of Simple Microorganisms: Bacterial Stress Responses and their Relevance to Ecology, Health and Industry</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Instructor: Adrienne Dolberry (<a href="mailto:dolberry@mit.edu">dolberry@mit.edu</a>, 3-8686; laboratory of Penny Chisholm)</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Spring 2008. Thursdays, 11 am - 1 pm. Room 68-151.</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">The ability of bacterial cells to acclimate to unfavorable growth conditions has allowed such “simple” microorganisms to thrive in environments uninhabitable by more complicated forms of life. By studying bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and others under conditions of extreme heat, artic temperatures, high light and acidic surroundings, researchers have identified and characterized genes involved in the acclimation of such microorganisms to and survival under stressful environments. How might organisms that are experts in cold acclimation, such as species of Psychrobacter bacteria from the Artic, help us to identify life on Mars? What types of cellular morphologies do pathogenic Escherichia coli assume when they contaminate your apple cider? How do starvation and light stresses control primary energy production in lakes and ponds? In this course, we will discuss the microbial physiology and genetics of stress responses in aquatic ecosystems, astrobiology, bacterial pathogenesis and the food industry. We will learn about classical and novel methods utilized by researchers to uncover bacterial mechanisms induced under both general and environment-specific stresses. Finally, we will compare and contrast models for bacterial stress responses to gain an understanding of distinct mechanisms of survival and of why there are differences among bacterial genera.</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>7.344 Directed Evolution: Engineering Biocatalysts</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Instructor: Kerry Love (<a href="mailto:klove@wi.mit.edu">klove@wi.mit.edu</a>, 4-2081; laboratory of Hidde Ploegh)</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Spring 2008. Thursdays, 1-3 pm. Room 68-151.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Enzymes, nature’s catalysts, are remarkable biomolecules capable of extraordinary specificity and selectivity. These characteristics have made enzymes particularly attractive as an alternative to conventional catalysts in numerous industrial processes. Oftentimes, however, the properties of an enzyme do not meet the criteria of the application of interest. While biological evolution of an enzyme’s properties can take several million years, directed evolution in the laboratory is a powerful and rapid alternative for tailoring enzymes for a particular purpose. Directed evolution has been used to produce enzymes with many unique properties, including altered substrate specificity, thermal stability, organic solvent resistance and enantioselectivity – selectivity of one stereoisomer over another. One example is the improvement of the catalytic efficiency of glutaryl acylase, an important enzyme in the manufacturing of semi-synthetic penicillin and cephalosporin. The technique of directed evolution comprises two essential steps: mutagenesis of the gene encoding the enzyme to produce a library of variants, and selection of a particular variant based on its desirable catalytic properties. In this course, we will examine what kinds of enzymes are worth evolving and the strategies used for library generation and enzyme selection. We will focus on those enzymes that are used in the synthesis of drugs and in biotechnological applications.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>7.345 Antibiotics, Toxins, Protein Engineering and The Ribosome</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Instructors: Caroline Koehrer (<a href="mailto:koehrer@mit.edu">koehrer@mit.edu</a>, 3-1870; laboratory of Uttam RajBhandary) Mandana Sassanfar (<a href="mailto:mandana@mit.edu">mandana@mit.edu</a>, 452-4371; Education Office)</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Spring 2008. Wednesdays, 1 – 3 pm. Room 68-151.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">The lethal poison Ricin (best known as a weapon of bioterrorism), Diphtheria toxin (the causative agent of a highly contagious bacterial disease), and the widely used antibiotic tetracycline have one thing in common: they specifically target the cell’s translational apparatus and disrupt protein synthesis. The ribosome, the function of which is to synthesize all proteins within a cell, has emerged as a prime drug target. Over the past decade, we have gained new and fundamental insight into the molecular workings of the ribosome, an amazing macromolecular machine. In this course, we will explore the structure and function of the ribosome. We will discuss the various mechanisms of action of toxins and antibiotics, their roles in everyday medicine, and the emergence and spread of drug resistance. We will also talk about the identification of new drug targets and how we can manipulate the protein synthesis machinery to provide powerful tools for protein engineering and potential new treatments for patients with devastating diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy.</font></div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div></body></html>