Course Syllabus for Fall 2008

Date	Topic	Assignment
Aug. 26	Course Introduction Plant gene structure and organization I
Aug. 28	Plant gene structure and organization II
Sept. 2	Measuring/quantifying gene expression I
Sept. 4	Measuring/quantifying gene expression II
Sept. 9	The gene expression toolbox I – in vivo approaches
Sept. 11	The gene expression toolbox II Reporter genes and selectable markers	Homework 1
Sept. 16	The gene expression toolbox III Cis-acting sequences
Sept. 18	The gene expression toolbox IV Trans-acting factors	Homework 2
Sept. 23	The gene expression toolbox V Trans-acting factors
Sept. 25	The gene expression toolbox VI Transient assays	Homework 3
Sept. 30	The gene expression toolbox V Agrobacterium-mediated transformation
Oct. 2	The gene expression toolbox VI Agrobacterium-mediated transformation	Homework 4 Paper outline
Oct. 7	The gene expression toolbox VII Agrobacterium-mediated transformation
Oct. 9	Signal transduction plant innate immune responses	Paper – 1^st paragraph
Oct. 14	Signal transduction systemic acquired resistance
Oct. 16	Old business – course evaluations	Completed Paper

Printer-Friendly Syllabus:

To access a version of the syllabus that can be printed more easily, click HERE.

NOTE:

This listing gives the dates and topics that will be covered in lecture. Click on a topic to access the links for (1) downloading the lecture notes, where available (note that this will require that you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer - see below): (2) Web pages designed as a review and an extension of the materials covered in class; and (3) required text readings and suggested supplemental readings (journal articles and reviews) for the associated lecture.

CAUTION!!

These materials are study aids, not a substitute for attending lectures! Information will be presented in class that is not posted on these pages. :-)

Adobe Acrobat Reader

Class lecture notes, electronic version of some literature references, and exam answer keys will be posted on the class Web page in *.pdf (Portable Document File) format. To read these files, your computer will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is a free plug-in for Netscape or Internet Explorer. Using this utility will allow you to access these materials, regardless of the computer platform you use.

Acrobat Reader can be downloaded directly from Adobe Systems, Inc.

Chime and JMol Links

Some of the lecture note Web pages will include molecular structures that can be viewed three-dimensionally using the appropriate software, which is available free of charge. Chime is a plugin for IE and Netscape (3.0 up to 4.79) which facilitates viewing of PDB files in 3D. Current versions of Internet Explorer have no problems with using Chime as a plug-in, however, Firefox and other alternatives cannot use Chime. You are encouraged to download Chime, if it is possible to use it on your computer, as it will make visualizing molecular interactions described in class MUCH easier. Most recently, a switch has been made to the Java-based application JMol and many structures will be accessible as long as your browser is Java-enabled. Unfortunately, I am behind the times and the tutorials I developed are in Chime. Sorry about that. If you are PC affecianado, as an alternative to turning one written homework assignment, you can convert one of my Chime-based tutorials to a JMol-based one.

Download Chime from the MDL web site. Alternatively, the latest installer can be downloaded here.

How to use Chime, a brief tutorial.

Chime Manual.

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