[bioundgrd] Biology Advanced Undergraduate Seminars – Spring 2019

[Crystal Boateng]

Please see the message below from Professor Horvitz regarding Advanced Undergraduate Seminars for the Spring term. You can find course information here: https://biology.mit.edu/undergraduate/current-students/subject-offerings/advanced-undergraduate-seminars/
Best,
Crystal Boateng



TO:     MIT Biology Majors
FROM:   H. Robert Horvitz, Professor of Biology
DATE:   December 18, 2018
        I am writing to inform you of an exciting offering from the Department of Biology for the 2018-2019 academic year:  a set of very current seminar courses, 7.34x, Advanced Undergraduate Seminars.  A complete listing of the courses, instructors, and brief course descriptions is enclosed.  The topics are highly varied and encompass areas of genetics, genomics, biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, cell biology, biotechnology, diagnostics, drug delivery, therapeutics 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 one short written assignment and one oral presentation.  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.
        These courses offer a number of special features:  small class size, a high degree of personal contact with the instructor(s), 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, analyze and critique 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.
         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 and in particular to discuss possible meeting days and times if those listed are not possible for you.

Advanced Undergraduate Seminars
2018-2019

Spring 2019

7.341 How DNA's Sister Does All the Work: The Central Roles of RNA in Gene Expression
Instructors: Ana Fiszbein (anafisz at mit.edu<mailto:anafisz at mit.edu>, 617-749-8096, laboratory of Chris Burge)
Marvin Jens (mjens at mit.edu<mailto:mjens at mit.edu>, 617-383-0948, laboratory of Chris Burge)
Spring 2019. Wednesdays, 11 am -1 pm. (Class day and time flexible.) Room 68-150.

While most cells in the body have exactly the same DNA, cells differ drastically in how they use their DNA. RNA, which is transcribed from DNA, is front and center of this specificity of expression and regulation of genetic information. This course will explore the frontiers of the world of RNA biology using primary research papers to trace how the original odd detail sometimes led to major discoveries. We will discuss exciting discoveries about the unexpected diversity of RNA classes and the mechanisms by which they are generated and exert their function. For example, while DNA base-pairing is mainly used to replicate genetic information, RNAs employ base-pairing for a wider array of functions, including specific binding to other RNAs. We will first review and update our knowledge about the historically best characterized RNAs: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA and ribosomal RNA, which together employ base-pairing to read the genetic code and synthesize proteins. In many organisms mRNAs undergo a processing step called splicing, which allows for many alternative variant messages to be made from the same gene and explains how the human body can make over 100.000 proteins from only 20.000 genes. Splicing defects are involved in a broad variety of human disorders. We will then turn to more recently discovered small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs, siRNAs, and piRNAs, which regulate the functions of other genes and can change cell fates during development. Finally, we will discuss RNA species about which we still know very little, such as long non-coding RNAs and circular RNAs. Some long non-coding RNAs associate with chromatin, thereby altering the expression of other genes or bringing together different chromosomes in the nucleus. Circular RNAs are unexpected products of splicing that have no ends and are therefore very stable compared to other RNAs. Many circular RNAs might simply be by-products, but some exist in surprisingly large quantities and can alter regulation by microRNAs or RNA-binding proteins, in one case with very specific consequences on behavior. Also, some circular RNAs have the capacity to be translated and make small proteins, adding to the already vast protein diversity enabled by alternative splicing. As we discuss the exciting diversity of RNA functions and marvel at the wonders of RNA, we will critically analyze both landmark and very recent primary research papers. We will visit the biotechnology company Moderna Therapeutics, which develops artificial mRNAs that can be administered to patients as a drug to substitute missing mRNAs or activate genetic programs that are needed for recovery from injuries.




7.342  Cellular Organelles in Health and Disease
Instructors:   Nora Kory (617-840-5206, nkory at wi.mit.edu<mailto:nkory at wi.mit.edu>, laboratory of David Sabatini)
            Monther Abu-Remaileh (617-840-5206, monther at wi.mit.edu<mailto:monther at wi.mit.edu>, laboratory of David Sabatini)
Spring 2019. Wednesdays 1 pm- 3 pm. (Day and class time are flexible.) Room 68-180.

The cell is the basic functional unit of life. Cells perform their diverse functions through a versatile series of biochemical reactions that require different chemical and physical environments. In eukaryotic cells, a complex compartmentalized system consisting of membrane-bound organelles allows these reactions to occur under optimal conditions and prevents accumulation of harmful metabolic intermediates in the wrong places. Additionally, these organelles are sites of signaling and metabolic regulation that enables cells to survive and perform their specialized functions in the body. In this course, we will explore the primary scientific literature to learn about different organelles, including the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondrion, lysosome, peroxisome and the Golgi, in addition to the new emerging field of phase-separated compartments. We will study the biogenesis, biology, and specialized functions of organelles in different organs and tissues, like the function of mitochondria in powering muscle function in some types of muscle but not in others. We will also learn about human diseases that are caused by organelle dysfunction, e.g., storage diseases caused by mutations in lysosomal genes and congenital metabolic disorders in children with mitochondrial gene mutations. We will learn about the biochemical, molecular and cell biological techniques that scientists (including ourselves) use to study cellular organelles. While discussing these multiple aspects of organelle biology, we will learn about scientific reading skills and how to critically think about the scientific literature, identify open questions in the field, and articulate ideas in a research plan. We will visit a research laboratory that studies cellular organelles to see how experiments we discuss in class are performed in the laboratory.


7.343   The Microbiome and Drug Delivery: Cross-species Communication in Health and Disease
Instructor: Miguel Jimenez (jmiguelj at mit.edu<mailto:jmiguelj at mit.edu>, 949-285-0318, laboratory of Robert Langer)
Spring 2019.  Thursdays, 11 am – 1 pm. (Class day and time are flexible.) Room 68-150.

Are humans superorganisms? There are more microbes permanently living in our gut than there are human cells in our bodies. This rich community of bacteria, fungi and viruses, called the microbiome, plays a central role in human health and disease. Recent research has linked this passenger community to nutrition, circadian rhythms, infectious disease, inflammatory disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and even immune system and nervous system development. The connections seem to be so far-reaching that some scientists are starting to consider this human-microbiome system as a “holobiont” or “superorganism.” Why are we realizing this situation only now? Are microbes actually interacting with us so fundamentally? What are the mechanisms by which effects of the microbiome are mediated? Could we survive without our microbiome? How can we analyze such a complex system? Can we exploit the microbiome to improve human health? Can interactions with microbes be harnessed for drug delivery? In this course, we will explore the primary scientific literature to find answers to these questions and to learn to critically assess observational and experimental data and distinguish between correlation and causality. We will discuss several of the key signaling molecules that mediate the interactions between humans and their microbiomes, such as human-produced antimicrobial peptides, microbial pheromones, bacterial peptide toxins and neuroactive microbial metabolites. We will learn about recent methods that make possible the analysis of these interactions. We will learn about such cutting-edge technologies as next-generation DNA and RNA sequencing and the use of germ-free mice. In addition, we will discuss how a large reduction in the cost of DNA synthesis is enabling the development of synthetic microbes that can be used to interrogate and manipulate the microbiome. Together these mechanistic insights and emerging tools are transforming microbiome research and might lead to new types of therapeutics and drug delivery for improving human health.

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