Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor, Lecturer
Ian Paulsen
6 Wally's Walk, Room 311
Lecturer
Paul Haynes
Lab Tech
Thi Huynh
Lab Tech
Angela Moncrieff
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---|---|
Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to GradDipBiotech or GradCertLabAQMgt or GradDipLabAQMgt or MBiotech or MBioBus or MLabAQMgt or MRadiopharmSc or MSc or MScInnovationChemBiomolecularSc or (Admission to BMedScMBiotech and BMOL2201 or BMOL2401)
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
Molecular biology is a central science in twenty-first century biology and biotechnology. Understanding the fundamentals of molecular biology is essential for many other fields in the life sciences, including microbiology, cell biology, immunology, and development. Molecular biology makes a significant and increasing contribution to major sectors of our society including agriculture and medicine, and is also important in environmental science and forensics. In this unit we explore topics that allow students to obtain an advanced understanding of the mechanisms of molecular biology, including those of DNA replication and recombination, prokaryotic gene expression, eukaryotic gene expression, mobile elements, the functions of the nucleus, and epigenetics. We also address topics on the rapidly changing technologies in molecular biology, including those used in genome sequencing, metagenomics, systems and synthetic biology. Practical sessions complement the lectures and provide students with hands-on experience with a range of critical laboratory skills including those required for DNA and RNA isolation, PCR and RT-PCR, cloning, and bioinformatics. Students gain experience in working with both bacterial and eukaryotic systems in the laboratory classes so that their skills and experience are valuable for a variety of positions in both industry and research. |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Assignments
All assignments must be submitted as soft copy on the date specified.
All written work must be submitted to Turnitin for plagiarism checking. Instructions will be provided on iLearn.
Criteria and standards required for the assessment tasks will be available on iLearn.
Extensions will only be granted under exceptional circumstances. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for disruption of studies is made and approved.
Problem Set
Problems 1 - 12 should be done in time for marking and discussion during the practical session of the Week 12.
Requirements
Assessment tasks involve the practical assignments and the problem sets which are both integral components of the unit. Apart from the marks formally allocated to these components, a comprehensive understanding of them will greatly assist you in the final exam. You should remember that the final exam covers ALL components of the unit. Participation in ALL practical sessions is required in order to complete the practical reports.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
---|---|---|---|
Final Examination | 50% | No | Final Exam Period |
Lab reports | 25% | No | Mar 29, Apr 12, May 31 2021 |
Midsemester Test | 10% | No | Week 7 |
Bioinformatic Report | 10% | No | May 31, 2021 |
Problem set | 5% | No | Week 12 |
Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 18 hours
Due: Final Exam Period
Weighting: 50%
Final Examination held in university examination period
Assessment Type 1: Lab report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Mar 29, Apr 12, May 31 2021
Weighting: 25%
Three lab reports 1500 words each
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 10%
Test carried out during regularly scheduled laboratory time.
Assessment Type 1: Qualitative analysis task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: May 31, 2021
Weighting: 10%
Report on Bioinformatic Analysis
Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 5%
Problem Set from Prac Manual
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Classes
There are two weekly lectures of 1 hour each on Monday 12 - 1 pm and Monday 1 - 2 pm which will be held virtually via Zoom (Zoom links will be provided through iLearn). There is one weekly practical session of 3 hours on Monday 2 - 5 pm (practical groups 1 and 2) and Tuesday 10 am - 1 pm (practical groups 3 and 4) at 14 Eastern Road E8A science labs 130 and 150. Attendance at practical sessions is a compulsory component of this unit. Lecture recordings and graphics slides are available online through iLearn (https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/ MQ/), although lecture attendance in person is highly recommended. The practical manual is also available online through iLearn.
Required and Recommended Texts
The course syllabus is defined by all of the subject material presented in lectures and practicals, much of which is beyond standard textbooks. The prescribed text for this unit is Molecular Biology Fifth edition by Robert F Weaver. Available from the Co-op bookshop. The following texts may also be useful and are available in the library:
GenesIX by Benjamin Lewin
Mobile Genetic Elements by Sherratt
Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual by Maniatis, Fritsch and Sambrook
An Introduction to Genetic Engineering by Des Nicholl.
Technology Requirements
Within this Unit, you will be introduced to web-based search engines that are commonly used in molecular biology. Our expectation is that you will be able to readily access the internet and have a computer available to you for web browsing and preparation of your laboratory reports. Handwritten reports will not be accepted. Your laboratory reports will be submitted and circulated via the online Turnitin program on iLearn, for which access instructions will be given at submission time. Your practical reports will require you to carry out minor computational tasks, for which a calculator and access to basic statistical tools will be required. We place a large emphasis on correct referencing style in all your reports, and use of the program EndNote is encouraged, but not essential.
Week |
Date |
Lecture |
Title |
Lecturer |
1 |
Feb 22 |
1 |
Introduction/What is Molecular Biology/Genome Structure |
Haynes |
Feb 22 |
2 |
Gene Organization/function |
Haynes |
|
2 |
Mar 1 |
3 |
Molecular Biology Techniques |
Haynes |
Mar 1 |
4 |
Molecular Biology Techniques |
Haynes |
|
3 |
Mar 8 |
5 |
Molecular Cloning |
Haynes |
Mar 8 |
6 |
Tools for studying Gene Activity |
Haynes |
|
4 |
Mar 15 |
7 |
Transcription in Prokaryotes |
Paulsen |
Mar 15 |
8 |
Structure of Prokaryotic Operons |
Paulsen |
|
5 |
Mar 22 |
9 |
Bacterial Gene Regulation |
Paulsen |
Mar 22 |
10 |
Transcription in Eukaryotes |
Paulsen |
|
6 |
Mar 29 |
11 |
Eukaryotic Gene Regulation |
Paulsen |
Mar 29 |
12 |
Nucleosomes/Histones/Chromatin |
Paulsen |
|
|
|
|
Semester break
|
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7 |
Apr 19 |
13 |
Messenger RNA splicing |
Paulsen |
Apr 19 |
14 |
Mechanism of Translation |
Paulsen |
|
8 |
Apr 26 |
15 |
Ribosomes and transfer RNA |
Paulsen |
Apr 26 |
16 |
DNA replication |
Paulsen |
|
9 |
May 3 |
17 |
DNA recombination |
Paulsen |
May 3 |
18 |
DNA repair |
Paulsen |
|
10 |
May 10 |
19 |
Mobile DNA elements #1 |
Paulsen |
May 10 |
20 |
Mobile DNA elements #2 |
Paulsen |
|
11 |
May 17 |
21 |
Genome Sequencing |
Paulsen |
May 17 |
22 |
Genomes, Pan-Genomes and Metagenomics |
Paulsen |
|
12 |
May 24 |
23 |
Bioinformatics and Genome Annotation |
Paulsen |
May 24 |
24 |
Functional Genomics and Systems Biology |
Paulsen |
|
13 |
May 31 |
25 |
Synthetic Biology |
Paulsen |
May 31 |
26 |
Revision |
Paulsen |
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The Bioinformatic Project is now run as a Synthetic Biology Design Challenge (see iLearn and the Prac Manual for details). It now runs from week 2 to week 13 in prac classes, rather than being in a discrete period (weeks 9-11) as previous.
Unit information based on version 2021.02 of the Handbook