BIOMG 4331

DNA Biology

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

BioMG4330/BioMG6330 covers the mechanisms that underlie different aspects of DNA metabolism. Topics include DNA replication, genetic recombination, DNA repair, DNA damage checkpoints, DNA transposition, somatic hypermutation, and DNA editing technologies. Students will become familiar with these topics by reading papers in a journal club format that include genetic, biochemical, structural, and computational biology methodologies. A course in biochemistry is required, and some familiarity in genetics is recommended. It is important that students arrive on time to class to promote productive discussions of the material in lecture and in the journal club.

Prerequisites BIOMG 3300, or BIOMG 3330, or BIOMG 3350, or BIOMG 3310/BIOMG 3320.

Enrollment Priority Recommended prerequisite: BIOMG 2800.

Last 4 Terms Offered (None)

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate a working knowledge of the fundamentals of DNA metabolism and how it is coordinated with other processes in the cell.
• Apply quantitative reasoning from the basic principles of physical, chemical and biochemical sciences to solve problems in the areas described in Objective 1.
• Communicate the fundamental concepts of DNA metabolism both in written and oral formats.
• Critically analyze and criticize data from journal articles, and propose additional experiments.
• Reconstruct experimental approaches by reading scientific abstracts that describe an exciting finding in DNA metabolism.

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