Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

www.mcdb.iastate.edu

(Interdepartmental Graduate Major)

Program Executive Committee: Jeff Beetham, Chair; F. C. Minion Associate Chair; W. A. Miller, and James Reecy

Participating Faculty: J. Beetham, Chair; Ambrosio, Linda Anderson, Lloyd Andreotti, Amy Bartholomay, Lyric Bassham, Diane Bhattacharyya, Madan Baum, Thomas Beattie, Gwyn Becraft, Phil Beitz, Donald Bellaire, Bryan Birt, Diane Blitvich, Bradley Bogdanove, Adam Bonning, Bryony Brehm-Stecher, Byron Coffman, Clark Dobbs, Drena Ellinwood, Matthew Essner, Jeffrey Ford, Clark Hannapel, David Henderson, Eric Huiatt, Ted Johansen, Jorgen Johansen, Kristen Jones, Doug Jurenka, Russell Kanthasamy, Anumantha Lee, Michael Link, Charles Macintosh, Gustavo Martin, Richard McGrail, Maura Miller, Cathy Miller, W. Allen Minion, F. Chris Myers, Alan Nikolau, Basil Nilsen-Hamilton, Marit Nolan, Lisa K. Ourednik, Jitka Ourednik, Vaclav Peters, Reuben Petersen, Christine Phillips, Greg Powell-Coffman, Jo Anne Reecy, Jim Robson, Richard Ross, Jason Rowling, Matthew Sakaguchi, Donald Selsby, Joshua Schalinske, Kevin Schnable, Patrick Shin, Yeon-Kyun Shogren-Knaak, Michael Singh, Ravindra Spalding, Martin Tabatabai, Louisa Thornburg, Robert Tuggle, Christopher Vollbrecht, Erik Wang, Kan Whitham, Steve Wurtele, Eve Yang, Bing Yin, Yanhai Yu, Edward Zabotina, Olga Zhang, Qijing

A special program in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology is not offered for the baccalaureate. Undergraduates wishing to prepare for graduate study in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology should elect courses in biochemistry, biology, genetics, microbiology; and mathematics through calculus; chemistry through organic; and one year of physics. Biol 313, 313L, 314, and 314L are recommended to undergraduates desiring an introduction to this area.

Work is offered for the master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees with a major in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology in several cooperating departments: Agronomy; Animal Science; Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology; Biomedical Sciences; Entomology; Food Science and Human Nutrition; Genetics, Development and Cell Biology; Horticulture; Physics & Astronomy; Plant Pathology; Veterinary Microbiology & Preventive Medicine; Veterinary Pathology. Facilities and qualified faculty are available in these departments for conducting fundamental research in the various aspects of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. Ongoing research projects include molecular and cellular studies of viral, prokaryotic, plant, and animal systems.

Students may enter the MCDB major in one of two ways: they may apply to and be accepted into the major directly or they may formally apply to the major after being accepted by a participating department. Students admitted into MCDB will take MCDB 697 (Graduate Research Rotations) in their first two semesters and choose a major professor from the participating faculty by the end of their second semester. Students admitted by a department will choose a major professor from the participating faculty in that department. All Ph.D. students take a core curriculum consisting of the following courses: Molecular biology (MCDB 511, 520, or 545 or Micro 502 or MCDB 676 or V MPM 608). In seminar, students will make journal and research presentations and attend MCDB seminars. M.S. students take the above core but may delete either the molecular genetics, cell biology, or developmental biology component. Additional coursework is selected to meet departmental requirements and to satisfy individual student research interests. All graduate students are required to teach as part of their training for an advanced degree.

Students minoring in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology at the Ph.D. level must meet the following requirements: one year of biochemistry (BBMB 404, 405, or BBMB 501, 502; one course in each of two of the above three areas molecular biology (MCDB 511, 520, or 545 or Micro 502 or MCDB 676 or V MPM 608).

Courses primarily for graduate students

MCDB 640. Signal Transduction. (Cross-listed with GDCB, BBMB). (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2010.Prereq: GDCB 528, BBMB 404. Mechanisms and components of cellular signal transduction including receptors, G-proteins, second messengers, protein phosphorylation, other post-translational protein modifications, and transcriptional regulation.

MCDB 676. Biochemistry of Gene Expression in Eucaryotes. (Cross-listed with BBMB). (2-0) Cr. 2. Alt. S., offered 2010.Prereq: BBMB 404 or 501, 405 or 502 or GDCB 511. Analysis of the biochemical processes involved in expression of eucaryotic genes and the regulation thereof, including RNA polymerase, transcriptional regulatory proteins, enhancers and silencers, chromosome structure, termination, RNA processing, RNA transport, RNA turnover, translational regulation, protein turnover.

MCDB 697. Graduate Research Rotation. Cr. 1-6. Repeatable. F.S.Graduate research projects performed under the supervision of selected faculty members in the molecular, cellular, and developmental biology program.

MCDB 698. Seminar in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. (Cross-listed with BBMB, GDCB, Micro, V MPM). (2-0) Cr. 1-2. Repeatable. F.S.Student and faculty presentations.

MCDB 699. Research. Cr. arr. Repeatable.