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Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology

Faculty E-mails

Professors
Michael Adams, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience/Entomology)
John Ashe, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience/Psychology)
Peter W. Atkinson, Ph.D. (Entomology)
Julia Bailey-Serres, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
James Baldwin, Ph.D. (Nematology)
Nancy Beckage, Ph.D. (Entomology/Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Richard Cardullo, Ph.D. (Biology)
Darleen DeMason, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
David Eastmond, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Brian Federici, Ph.D. (Entomology)
Daniel Gallie, Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
Sarjeet S. Gill, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Andrew Grosovsky, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Leah Haimo, Ph.D. (Biology)
Glenn Hatton, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Robert Heath, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Helen Henry, Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
Anthony H.C. Huang, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Bradley Hyman, Ph.D. (Biology)
Elizabeth M. Lord, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Richard Luben, Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences)
Thomas Miller, Ph.D. (Entomology)
Anthony Norman, Ph.D. (Biochemistry/Biomedical Sciences)
Eugene Nothnagel, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Laurie Owen-Schaub, Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences)
Alexander Raikhel (Entomology)
Natasha Raikhel (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Neil L. Schiller, Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences)
Stephen Spindler, Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
B. Glenn Stanley, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience/Psychology)
Daniel Straus, Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences)
Prudence Talbot, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Linda Walling, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Shizhong Xu, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Zhenbiao Yang, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Raphael Zidovetzki, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Professors Emeriti
Salomon Bartnicki-Garcia, Ph.D. (Plant Pathology)
Irwin W. Sherman, Ph.D. (Biology)
Associate Professors
Katherine Borkovich, Ph.D. (Plant Pathology)
Elizabeth Bray, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Margarita Currás-Collazo, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Shou-Wei Ding, Ph.D. (Plant Pathology)
Scott N. Currie, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Howard Judelson, Ph.D. (Plant Pathology)
Xuan Liu, Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
Christian Lytle, Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences)
Manuela Martins-Green, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Dmitri Maslov, Ph.D. (Biology)
Frances Sladek, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Assistant Professors
Jeffrey B. Bachant, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Kathryn DeFea, Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences)
Douglas Ethell, Ph.D. (Biomedial Sciences)
Iryna Ethell, Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences
Isgouhi Kaloshian, Ph.D. (Nematology)
Paul Larsen, Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
Sheri J. Lillard, Ph.D. (Chemistry)
Ernest Martinez, Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
Constance I. Nugent, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Mihri Ozkan, Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering/Chemical and Environmental Engineering)
Vladimir Parpura, M.D., Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
A.L.N. Rao, Ph.D. (Plant Pathology)
Patricia S. Springer, Ph.D. (Botany and Plant Sciences)
Stephan Wilkens, Ph.D. (Biochemistry)

The Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program is an interdepartmental program offering M.S. and Ph.D. degrees to students seeking advanced training in these disciplines. The program focuses on the bridge between basic and applied research and on the interface between cell, molecular, and developmental biology. Participating faculty are drawn from numerous biological sciences departments whose research interests in cell, molecular, and developmental biology span biomedical to agricultural problems, and students in the program benefit from unique training opportunities.

Students seeking admission into the program should meet all general requirements of the Graduate Division as printed in the Graduate Studies section of this catalog. Applicants should have adequate undergraduate course work in chemistry (two years), physics (one year), calculus (one year), statistics (one course), biochemistry (one course), and biology (two years, including a course in genetics and two courses among cell, molecular, or developmental biology). Applicants with strong academic records but with deficiencies in preparation for graduate training may be admitted and must rectify undergraduate deficiencies early in the first two years of residence. Applicants must submit GRE General Test scores (verbal, quantitative and analytical).

GRADUATE PROGRAM

The program offers an M.S. degree, Plan I (Thesis), and a Ph.D. degree. Students enrolled in either degree program are expected to complete the following core of course work:

1. One graduate-level course in cell biology (BIOL 200/CMDB 200, BPSC 237, or NRSC 200A/PSYC 200A)
2. One graduate-level course in molecular biology (BIOL 201/CMDB 201, BCH 211, BPSC 231/BCH 231, BMSC 202, or NRSC 200B/PSYC 200B)
3. One graduate-level course in developmental biology (BIOL 222, BPSC 232/BIOL 232, CMDB 202, or ENTM 226)

Each student must enroll in the program seminars (CMDB 257, CMDB 258) each time they are offered. Upon entry into the program, each student meets with a guidance committee, which recommends a course of study commensurate with the student's interests and background.

Master's Degree

Master's students complete the course work above, enroll in one graduate seminar course in cell, molecular, or developmental biology (BIOL 281/CMDB 281, BPSC 240, NRSC 289), and undertake a research project leading to a thesis.

Each student must complete 36 units of course work, of which at least 24 units must be in the graduate series (200 level) in the biological sciences. No more than 12 units in courses numbered 290-299 may be taken to fulfill the 24-unit requirement. Candidates for the M.S. degree must defend their thesis at a public oral presentation.

Doctoral Degree

Students complete the course work above and one additional graduate course in cell, molecular, and developmental biology. Students also enroll in two graduate seminar courses in cell, molecular, or developmental biology (BIOL 281/CMDB 281, BPSC 240, NRSC 289). Each candidate undertakes a research project leading to a dissertation and fulfills a two-quarter teaching requirement.

Each student must complete 36 units of course work, of which at least 24 units must be in the graduate series (200 level) in the biological sciences. No more than 8 units in courses numbered 290-299 may be taken to fulfill the 24-units requirement. Doctoral students are advanced to candidacy following successful completion of written and oral qualifying examinations. Students write a proposal detailing the rationale, specific aims, and approaches to be undertaken for their proposed dissertation research prior to taking the oral qualifying examination. Ph.D. candidates must successfully defend their dissertation research in a public oral presentation.

Career Opportunities

There is a high demand in industry and academia for scientists with training in cell, molecular, and developmental biology. Students matriculating from the program are well trained in this field and successfully obtain positions in biotechnology, including biomedical and agricultural industries, and at colleges and universities nationwide.

Normative Time to M.S. Two years

Normative Time to Ph.D. Five years

GRADUATE COURSES

CMDB 200. Cell Biology (4) F Lecture, 3 hours; seminar, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): BCH 110A or BCH 110B or equivalent (may be taken concurrently); BIOL 102 or equivalent; BIOL 113 or BIOL 114 or CBNS 101 or equivalent. An examination of the structure and function of eukaryotic cells and their components with emphasis on the key experiments that provide the foundation for our current knowledge. Covers topics such as cell membranes, intracellular trafficking, cell-to-cell interactions, motility, and the cytoskeleton. Cross-listed with BIOL 200.

CMDB 201. Molecular Biology (4) W Lecture, 3 hours; seminar, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): BCH 110A or BCH 110B or equivalent (may be taken concurrently); BIOL 102 or equivalent; BIOL 107A or equivalent. Covers the structure and inheritance of genetic material, the regulation of gene expression at the cellular and molecular level including molecular mechanisms for regulation of gene transcription, posttranscriptional regulation at the level of messenger RNA stability, processing, editing and translation, methods for gene mapping, and positional cloning. Cross-listed with BIOL 201.

CMDB 202. Developmental Biology (4) S Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): CBNS 101 or equivalent. An examination of development, beginning with the principles that underlie developmental studies of all multicellular organisms. Focuses on plants, insects, and fungi but introduces other model systems. Topics are taken from the current literature.

CMDB 204. Genome Maintenance and Stability (4) Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): BCH 110C or BIOL 107A; BIOL 113 or BIOL 114 or CBNS 101; BIOL 102 is strongly recommended. Emphasizes chromosome-based processes that maintain genome integrity and ensure accurate genome transmission during cell division. Topics are drawn from the primary literature and include chromatin structure and composition, DNA repair and recombination, telomere function and chromosome maintenance, mitotic chromosome segregation, and checkpoint surveillance mechanisms. May be taken Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) with consent of instructor and graduate advisor. Cross-listed with BCH 204 and ENTX 204.

CMDB 205. Signal Transduction Pathways in Microbes and Plants (4) S Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing in the biological sciences, BIOL 107A or BIOL 113 or BIOL 114 or CBNS 101; or consent of instructor. Advanced topics in signal transduction pathways that regulate growth and development in plants and prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes. Areas covered include two-component regulatory systems; quorum sensing; signaling via small and heterotrimeric G proteins; mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades; cAMP signaling; photoreceptors; plant hormone signaling; responses to low-oxygen stress; calcium signaling; and plant pathogenesis. Cross-listed with BCH 205, GEN 205, BPSC 205, MCBL 205, and PLPA 205.

CMDB 250. Special Topics in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology (1-2) F,W,S Seminar, 1-2 hours. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing. Oral presentations and intensive small-group discussion of selected topics in the area of special competence of each participant. Content emphasizes recent advances in the topic area and varies accordingly. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable.

CMDB 257. Seminar in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology (1) F Seminar, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing. Lectures by visiting scholars on current research in cell, molecular, and developmental biology. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable.

CMDB 258. Graduate Student Seminar in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology (1) S One 1-day seminar. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology. An interdisciplinary seminar consisting of student presentations of original research and discussion of current research topics in cell, molecular, and developmental biology. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable.

CMDB 281 (E-Z). Seminar in Cell Development, Structure, and Function (2) F,W,S Seminar, 2 hours. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing; consent of instructor. Lectures, discussions, and demonstrations by students, faculty, and invited scholars on selected subjects concerned with the principles of cell development, structure, and function. E. Cell Biology; F. Molecular Biology; G. Developmental Biology. Segments are repeatable. Cross-listed with BIOL 281 (E-Z).

CMDB 290. Directed Studies (1-6) Individual study, 3-18 hours. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing; consent of instructor and graduate advisor. Individual study, directed by a faculty member, of specially selected topics in cell, molecular, and developmental biology. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable.

CMDB 292. Concurrent Analytical Studies in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology (2-4) Outside research, 6-12 hours. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing. Elected concurrently with an appropriate undergraduate course, but on an individual basis. Students are required to submit one or more graduate papers based on research or criticism related to the course. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable.

CMDB 297. Directed Research (1-6) Outside research, 3-18 hours. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing. Research and experimental studies conducted under the supervision of a faculty member on specially selected topics in cell, molecular, and developmental biology. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable.

CMDB 299. Research for the Thesis or Dissertation (1-12) Outside research, 3-36 hours. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing. Original research in an area selected for the advanced degree. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable.

PROFESSIONAL COURSE

CMDB 301. Teaching of Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology at the College Level (1) Seminar, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing. A program of weekly meetings and individual formative evaluations required of new teaching assistants. Covers instructional methods and classroom/section activities most suitable for teaching Biology. Conducted by the Teaching Assistant Development Program. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC).