Cell Structure, Function and Growth Control II
This is a one-semester course that provides a comprehensive survey of signal transduction and molecular growth regulation, taught by an interdepartmental team of experts. Topics include growth factors and their receptors, receptor and non-receptor tyrosine kinases, signaling inducers, components and circuitry, the cell cycle, activation of oncogenes, mechanisms of oncoproteins including those acting in the nucleus, suppressor genes and genomic instability, viral oncoproteins and the cell cycle, and oncogenes in human malignancy. Its popularity amongst graduate students from the various basic science departments has grown tremendously since it was first introduced by Dr. Lee in 1990 as MICRO 156. The course has gone through significant revision over the past two years and now represents one of two semester courses that resulted from the merger of five different one-semester courses taught in the Departments of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Cell Biology and Anatomy (now Cell and Devlopmental Biology), Cell and Molecular Physiology, Microbiology and Immunology (MICRO 156) and Pharmacology. Consequently, the enrollment for this class ranges from 50-60 students. Coordinated by the Program preceptor, Dr. Adrienne Cox, many of the training faculty (Drs. Baldwin, Cox, Damania, Der, Earp, Errede, Johnson, Lee, Maness, Peifer, Perou, Raab-Traub, Schaller, Sharpless, Threadgill, Van Dyke, and Xiong) have participated in this course. The success of this course demonstrates the support and commitment of the preceptors and departments to interdisciplinary training. The rationale for including it in the curriculum is that its focus on molecular aspects of cancer cell biology effectively complements the cellular aspects of cancer pathobiology that are covered in PATH 225.
