The University of Arizona
MIC328 Microbial Physiology
http://microvet.arizona.edu/Courses/MIC328/index.html
or through D2L http://www.d2l.arizona.edu

Dr. Fane
Office: 219 Keating Building, BIO5
Phone: 626-6634
Email: bfane@u.arizona.edu
Office hours: Tuesday 1-2 and by appointment. The security in the Keating Building will not allow students to come directly to my office. When you arrive, go the reception desk where the receptionist will call me.

Objectives: The objective of this course is to give an introduction to selective topics in microbial physiology on the biochemical and molecular level.

Readings and Texts: All the reading material for the course is on-line. Clicking on the links within the syllabus, will take you to one of several on-line textbooks posted by the National Institutes of Health.  

Exams: There will be three one-hour exams and a final exam, each worth 105 points. Exam questions will primarily be short answer and short essay questions. If the average of any given exam is below 75%, that exam will be curved with the average being set at 75%.

Grade calculation: A student can receive a total of 420 points in the course. Grades, however, will be calculated by dividing the points obtained by 400. No exams are dropped.

Grading: 90%-105% A; 80%-90% B; 70%-80% C; Below 70% E. Note that the D grade is not used in this course.

Academic Dishonesty will result in an E grade.

Suggestions for doing well in this course:

General: Attend classes an d compile a thorough set of lecture and study notes. Do not fall behind.

Before lecture: Do a preliminary reading of the assigned chapters and familiarize yourself with definitions, concepts and terms.

During lecture: Don't be embarrassed to ask questions or ask me to repeat myself. Take notes.

After lecture: Review your notes, and with the use of your text, be sure that you understood the lecture. If anything seems unclear, come to see me.
 
Additional Resources: My office hours will be 1:00-2:00 Tuesday or by appointment.

Problem sets: Completion of the assigned problem sets is not required. Links to the problem sets can be found below. The best way to approach the problem sets is as a self-evaluation tool. Study the material first, close your book and class notes and then attempt the problems. If you cannot do a problem, then you obviously need to study the material more. This is an opportunity for you to correct any misunderstandings regarding the material before the exam and to remain current in the course! The most critical material will be emphasized in both lectures and the problem sets. Exam questions are very similar to problem set questions.
 
Policy on missed exams: Students representing the University in an official capacity, as defined by the Student Handbook, must notify me before the exam to schedule an alternative date. Students, who miss an exam due to illness or other emergency, must contact me the day of the exam to schedule a make-up exam. A doctor's note may be required. All makeup exams will be given at the end of the course.

Final Exam Policy: If a student receives an A grade on each of the hour exams, s/he is an exempt from the final. If the final exam improves a student's overall grade, it will be counted twice and the grade will be based on a 500-point scale. The final exam is not curved, regardless of the average.

Schedule and Readings.

January 17, 22, 24
Catabolizing Sugars, glycolysis, the pentose phosphate and Entner-Doudoroff pathways.
 		Glycolysis, Pentose phosphate pathway.
Problem set 1.
January 26, 31
 		Gene regulation of sugar catabolism. Lac operon, catabolite repression, allosteric regulation of phosphofructokinase and hexokinase.
Glycolysis, Transcription in prokaryotes.
Problem set 1.
February 5, 7
 		Tricarboxylic acid cycle. 
Other carbon sources, lipids and amino acids, etc.
TCA, Lipid catabolism, Glyoxylate cycle.
Problem set 1.
February 12, 14
 		Respiration and fermentation
 		Oxidative phosphorylation, Fermentations.
Problem set 1.
February 19, 21.
Problem set 1 and review.

February 26.
Exam I

February 28, March 4
 		Carbon assimilatory reactions, the Calvin cycle, anapleuro tic reactions, the glyoxylate cycle.
Glyoxylate cycle, anapleurotic reactions, Calvin cycle. Problem set 2.
March 4, 6
 		Assimilation of phosphorus, sulfur and nitrogen and amino acid biosynthesis
 		Reductive and transaminations.
March 11,13
 		Amino acid biosynthesis
 		Serine, glycine, cysteine, and proline biosynthesis.
Homoserine biosynthesis. Problem set 2.
Spring break
 Enjoy yourselves, but do it safely, and in all things!
March 25

 Regulation of amino acid biosynthesis, feedback inhibition, the trp operon.
 		Regulation of amino acid biosynthesis enzymatic level, transcriptional level. Problem set 2.
March 27
 		Pyrimidine biosynthesis and aspartate carbamoyltransferase
 		Pyrimidine biosynthesis, basic enzyme kinetics and aspartate carbamoyltransferase.
April 1, 3
 Problem set 2 and review.
April 8
 Exam II
April 10,15
Fatty acid, phospholipid, and peptidoglycan biosynthesis.
Fatty acid biosynthesis.
Problem set 3.
April 17,22.
 		Ribosome assembly and protein synthesis.
 		Amino-acyl tRNA synthetases, Protein synthesis. Problem set 3.
April 24, 29
 Problem set 3 and review.

May 1
 		Exam III

May 6
 		Return of Exam III, review for final
May 15
 Final Exam

Problem Set 1
Problem Set 2
Problem Set 3