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Microbiology

Subject abbreviation: MCBL
College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Program Office, 1001 Batchelor Hall North
(800) 735-0717 or (951) 827-5913
microbiology.ucr.edu

The Microbiology Graduate Program is not currently accepting new students. For more information, contact the Biological Sciences Graduate Student Affairs Center, 1001 Batchelor Hall, (800) 735-0717.

Faculty E-mails

Professors
Michael Allen, Ph.D. Biology and Ecology Microbial-Plant-Soil Interactions (Plant Pathology)
Nancy E. Beckage, Ph.D. Molecular Host-Parasite/Pathogen Interactions (Entomology/Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Katherine A. Borkovich, Ph.D. Fungal Cell and Molecular Biology (Plant Pathology)
Wilfred Chen, Ph.D. Microbial Engineering(Chemical and Environmental Engineering)
Michael D. Coffey, Ph.D. Phytophthora Taxonomy and Genetics (Plant Pathology)
Donald A. Cooksey, Ph.D. Bacterial Copper Resistance (Plant Pathology)
David E. Crowley, Ph.D. Rhizosphere Microbiology; Bioremediation (Environmental Sciences)
Marc A. Deshusses, Ph.D. Biodegradation, Biofiltration and Bioremediation of Pollutants(Chemical and Environmental Engineering)
Shou-Wei Ding, Ph.D. Molecular Biology of Plant Viruses and Gene Silencing (Plant Pathology)
J. Allen Dodds, Ph.D. Molecular Virus-Host Interactions (Plant Pathology)
Brian A. Federici, Ph.D. Molecular Biology of Insect Pathogens (Entomology)
William T. Frankenberger, Ph.D. Microbial Transformation of Metals and Metalloids(Environmental Sciences)
Sarjeet S. Gill, Ph.D. Bacterial Toxic Action(Cell Biology and Neuroscience)
Howard S. Judelson, Ph.D. Molecular Genetics of Fungi (Plant Pathology)
Ashok Mulchandani, Ph.D. Microbial Engineering, Biosensors, and Biodetoxification (Chemical and Environmental Engineering)
Edward G. Platzer, Ph.D. Host-Parasite Interactions (Nematology/Biology)
A.L.N. Rao, Ph.D. Molecular Plant-Virus Interactions (Plant Pathology)
Neal L. Schiller, Ph.D. Human Host-Bacterial Pathogen Interactions (Biomedical Sciences)
Michael Stanghellini, Ph.D. Ecology, Epidemiology, and Control of Soil-borne Pathogens(Plant Pathology)
Marylynn V. Yates, Ph.D. Water and Wastewater Microbiology (Environmental Sciences)

Professor Emeritus
Dennis D. Focht, Ph.D. (Plant Pathology)

Associate Professors
James E. Adaskaveg, Ph.D. Biology, Epidemiology, and Ecology of Plant Pathogenic Fungi (Plant Pathology)
James G. Borneman, Ph.D. Microbial Ecology of Soil-borne Plant Pathogens (Plant Pathology)
Assistant Professors
Brian Lanoil, Ph.D. Environmental Microbiology, Extreme Environments, Marine Systems (Environmental Sciences)
Lisa Stein, Ph.D. Environmental Microbiology, Anaerobic Microbiology, Biogeochemistry (Environmental Sciences)

Major

The Microbiology program participates in the Biological Sciences major. See Biological Sciences, Microbiology Track.

Upper-Division Courses

MCBL 120. Introduction to Plant Pathology (3) F Lecture, 3 hours. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 005A, BIOL 05LA, BIOL 005B, BIOL 005C, CHEM 001C or CHEM 01HC, CHEM 112C, MATH 009B or MATH 09HB, PHYS 002C, PHYS 02LC, BCH 100 or BCH 110A, one course in statistics; or consent of instructor. An introduction to the study of plant diseases. Topics include diseases and disease-causing agents, host-pathogen interaction during disease development, and strategies for disease management. An optional, separate laboratory is offered. Cross-listed with BIOL 120 and PLPA 120. Stanghellini

MCBL 120L. Introduction to Plant Pathology Laboratory (1) F Laboratory, 4 hours. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 005A, BIOL 005B; concurrent enrollment in BIOL 120/MCBL 120/PLPA 120 or consent of instructor; BIOL 121/MCBL 121 and BIOL 124/MCBL 124 recommended. Covers fundamentals in the use of laboratory instruments and techniques for the detection, isolation, and identification of representative infectious agents that cause disease in plants. Cross-listed with BIOL 120L and PLPA 120L. Stanghellini

MCBL 121. Introductory Microbiology (4) F, W Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 005A, BIOL 05LA, BIOL 005B, BIOL 005C, CHEM 001C or CHEM 01HC, CHEM 112C, MATH 009B or MATH 09HB, PHYS 002C, PHYS 02LC, BCH 100 or BCH 110A (BCH 100 or BCH 110A may be taken concurrently); or consent of instructor. An intensive introduction to the fundamental physiology and molecular biology of bacteria and viruses. Covers evolutionary origins of metabolic diversity, bacterial and viral molecular genetics, and an introduction to microbial pathogenesis. Cross-listed with BIOL 121. Borkovich, Stein

MCBL 121L. Microbiology Laboratory (3) W, S Lecture, 1 hour; laboratory, 6 hours. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 121/MCBL 121 with a grade of “C-” or better. Laboratory exercises in diagnostic bacteriology, basic virology, and epidemiology. Includes fundamental quantitative and diagnostic microbiological procedures, basic mechanisms of microbial genetic exchange, and a project examining bacterial epidemiology. Cross-listed with BIOL 121L. Borneman, Coffey

MCBL 122. Food Microbiology (4) S Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 121/MCBL 121 with a grade of “C-” or better; BIOL 121L/MCBL 121L. Covers spoilage and preservation of food; food quality and indicator organisms; the role of microorganisms in the production of dairy goods and fermented beverages; food-borne pathogens and microbiological production of toxins; and classical and modern molecular methods for detection of food microorganisms. Cross-listed with BIOL 122. Focht

MCBL 123. Introduction to Comparative Virology (4) Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 005A, BIOL 05LA, BIOL 005B, BIOL 005C, CHEM 001C or CHEM 01HC, CHEM 112C, MATH 009B or MATH 09HB, PHYS 002C, PHYS 02LC, BCH 100 or BCH 110A, one course in statistics; or consent of instructor. Considers viruses as infectious agents of bacteria, plants, and animals (vertebrates and invertebrates). Compares the major groups of viruses to each other with respect to their biological and biochemical properties, molecular and genetic characteristics, and modes of replication. Cross-listed with BIOL 123 and PLPA 123. Ding, Rao

MCBL 124. Pathogenic Microbiology (4) S Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 121/MCBL 121 with a grade of “C-” or better or consent of instructor. An intensive introduction to the fundamental physiology and molecular biology of bacteria and viruses. Covers research strategies for examining microbial pathogenic mechanisms. Cross-listed with BIOL 124. Cooksey, Gill

MCBL 133. Environmental Microbiology (4) Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 005A, BIOL 05LA, BIOL 005B, BIOL 005C; or consent of instructor. Introduction to nonpathogenic microorganisms in the environment. Topics include an introduction to microbial biology and microbial and metabolic genetic diversity; methods; symbiotic interactions; biofilms; and geomicrobiology and biogeochemistry. Explores life in extreme environments and the effects of the physical and chemical environment on microbes. Cross-listed with SWSC 133 and ENSC 133. Lanoil

MCBL 141. Public Health Microbiology (4) Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 002 or both BIOL 005A and BIOL 05LA; BIOL 003 or BIOL 005B; upper-division standing; or consent of instructor. Introduction to transmission of human pathogenic microorganisms through environmental media, including drinking water, wastewater, and air. Topics include characterization of environmentally transmitted pathogens, microbial risk assessment, sampling and detection methods for microorganisms in environmental samples, waterborne disease outbreaks, recycling or re-use of wastewater, microbial regulations and standards, and indoor air microbiology. Cross-listed with ENSC 141 and SWSC 141. Yates

MCBL 197. Research for Undergraduates (1-4) directed research, 3-12 hours. Prerequisite(s): consent of instructor; upper-division standing. Individual research in microbiology performed under the guidance of the staff or faculty. Letter grades are assigned to students presenting a research paper; other students are graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable to a maximum of 9 units.

Graduate Courses

MCBL 201. Functional Diversity of Prokaryotes (3) W Lecture, 3 hours. Prerequisite(s): BCH 110A, BCH 110B, BIOL 121/MCBL 121; or equivalents; or consent of instructor. In-depth coverage of bacterial and archaeal bioenergetics, cell structure, diversity of metabolism, regulation of metabolism, growth, and biosynthesis, and cell-cell interactions between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Project involves analysis of metabolic pathways from complete, annotated, prokaryotic genome sequences. Cross-listed with ENSC 205 and PLPA 201. Stein

MCBL 205. Signal Transduction Pathways in Microbes and Plants (4) 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 CMDB 205, BCH 205, GEN 205, BPSC 205, and PLPA 205.

MCBL 206. Gene Silencing (3) Lecture, 2 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing, BIOL 107A or CBNS 101; or consent of instructor. An in-depth coverage of mechanisms, functions, and applications of RNAi and related gene regulatory pathways guided by small RNAs such as siRNAs and miRNAs in plants and animals. Cross-listed with GEN 206 and CMDB 206.

MCBL 210. Molecular Biology of Human Disease Vectors (3) Lecture, 2 hours; seminar, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): consent of instructor. Covers the molecular aspects of vectors transmitting most dangerous human diseases. Involves lectures and student presentations about current issues in molecular biology and genomics of vector insects and pathogens they transmit. May be taken Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) with consent of instructor and graduate advisor. Cross-listed with ENTM 210 and CMDB 210.

MCBL 211. Microbial Ecology (3) S, Odd Years Lecture, 3 hours. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing or consent of instructor. Application of ecological principles to microbial communities. Emphasizes methods for analysis of diversity and community structure and statistical methods relating genetic and biochemical fingerprints to functional properties. Case studies explore applications for agriculture, disease biocontrol, and bioremediation of environmental contaminants. Cross-listed with SWSC 211. Borneman, Crowley, Lanoil

MCBL 221. Microbial Genetics (4) W Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): BCH 110C or BIOL 107A; BIOL 102. An in-depth coverage of the genetics of microbes with emphasis on the primary data and the foundation of modern techniques using Escherichia coli and other prokaryotic systems. Topics include genome organization, plasmids, restriction-modification systems, mutation, transposable elements, regulation of gene expression, viruses, recombination, repair, and responses to stress. Cross-listed with BIOL 221. Borkovich

MCBL 241. Special Topics (2) Lecture, 2 hours. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing or consent of instructor. Oral presentations and intensive small-group discussion of selected topics in each faculty member’s area of specialization. Course content emphasizes recent advances in the special topic area and varies accordingly. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable. Cross-listed with PLPA 241.

MCBL 250. Seminar in Microbiology (1) S Seminar, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing. Formal seminars by graduate students, faculty, and invited scholars on selected topics in microbiology. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable.

MCBL 262. Seminar in Molecular Biology and Genomics of Disease Vectors (1) Seminar, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing or consent of instructor. Seminar series, sponsored by the Center for Disease-Vector Research at the Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, provides an opportunity for graduate students to discuss current issues of molecular biology and genomics of vector insects and pathogens they transmit with guest speakers. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable. Cross-listed with ENTM 262.

MCBL 290. Directed Studies (1-6) Outside research, 3-18 hours. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing; consent of instructor and graduate advisor. Experimental or literature studies on specifically selected topics conducted under the direction of a faculty member. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable.

MCBL 297. Directed Research (1-6) Outside research, 3-18 hours. Prerequisite(s): graduate standing. Directed research in microbiology performed prior to advancement to candidacy in preparation for thesis or dissertation projects. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable.

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