BCMB 403: Molecular Biotechnology and Applications

Tools of molecular biology: Agarose and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; Northern and Southern blots and hybridization analysis; Western blots and protein detection; PCR and RAPD, RFLP.
Purification and characterization of nucleic acids: Principles for extraction and purification; concentration and molecular weight determination; species differentiation (RNA/DNA, single/double stranded nucleic acids).
Modifying enzymes: Restriction endonucleases; other nucleases (DNAse, RNAse); ligases; polymerases.
Recombinant DNA technology: Cloning and expression vectors, recombinant molecules and transformation systems (prokaryotic and eukaryotic hosts); colony screening, plasmid isolation and characterisation; transduction and conjugation.
Nucleotide sequencing and mutagenesis: Sequencing of end labelled DNA by base specific chemical cleavage (Maxam and Gilbert) and analysis of primed enzymatic synthesis (Sanger); deletion and insertion mutagenesis.
Gene expression detection: principles of RT-PCR, real time RT-PCR, microarrays.
Applications: medicine, agriculture and industry.