Courses

Membrane Biology

FOUNDATION COURSES

To allow maximum flexibility and meshing of departmental and programmatic requirements, the program requires that graduate students take only 4 core courses (15 credits, total). These include Mechanisms in Biomedical Sciences: From Genes to Disease, (8 cr) which is required of nearly all students in GPILS. Additional courses, specific to the training program in Membrane Biology are Professors' Rounds in Membrane Biology, Membrane Carriers and Channels, and Molecular Medicine. Students may then choose to take additional courses that are more specifically geared to their interests and goals.

Core Courses

GPLS 601, 602, 603 Mechanisms in Biomedical Sciences: From Genes to Disease (8 credits) This course offers a comprehensive overview of current knowledge in cellular, molecular, and structural biology and provides the background necessary for subsequent specialized studies in biomedical research for students in the programs in Neuroscience, Molecular Medicine, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The core curriculum is broken into 3 separate modules:

GPILS 601 Mechanisms in Biomedical Sciences I (2 credits)

GPILS 602 Mechanisms in Biomedical Sciences II (2 credits)

GPILS 603 Mechanisms in Biomedical Sciences III (4 credits)

The format of these modules is highly interactive, and includes:

• Lectures presenting creative, cutting-edge approaches to investigating fundamental, current biomedical questions, together with review of fundamental principles of molecular and cellular biology

• Vertically-integrated topics that tie together the study of individual genes, proteins, cellular function and associated clinical disorders

• Emphasis on development and critical evaluation of scientific hypotheses

• Introduction to state-of-the-art techniques

• Mentored discussions of primary papers

• Topic-specific seminars, including cancer, neuroscience, membrane biology and gene therapy

• Optional, supplemental review sessions prior to each topic to strengthen background knowledge

Course Director: Dr. T. Abrams

GPLS 648 Professors' Rounds in Membrane Biology (1 Credit) This weekly one-hour seminar will expose students to selected topics in the field of biomembranes and their roles in cell and systems biology through brief presentations by faculty. Each week, two faculty members in the program will summarize the ongoing research in their laboratories. Time is reserved for questions and open discussions.

GPLS 625 Membrane Carriers and Channels (4 credits) This is 4-credit course to prepare students for advanced study and laboratory research on the mechanisms by which ions and small molecules are transported across biological membranes. The course is composed of two sections. The first deals with the biochemistry and molecular biology of common plasma membrane active transport systems for ions, nutrients and neurotransmitters. The transport section also covers the relationships and interactions between transport proteins in the plasma membrane and intracellular membranes. The second section deals with the structure and function of ions channels, including coverage of the classical work of Hodgkin and Huxley, a description of our current understanding of the molecular structure of ion channels as deduced from sequence analysis of the channel proteins and high resolution x-ray crystallography, and current hypotheses about the structural basis of channel selectivity and gating. The course will end with a discussion of the diverse roles played by ion channels in a wide range of human diseases. Prerequisites: GPLS core course or equivalent, or consent of the course director. Offered yearly in the spring semester.

GPLS 750 Topics in Molecular Medicine (2 credits) This course is aimed at developing skills necessary for understanding and discovering how changes in gene function cause human disease. The course focuses on inherited disease processes that illustrate the physiological consequences of molecular, cellular, genetic phenomena. Recent breakthroughs in the identification of disease-related genes are presented and extended to a discussion about their impact on cell and organ function. Critical reading and discussion of landmark and/or timely papers are stressed. In this way, students learn interesting state-of-the-art material while developing skills and expertise in integrative biology and molecular medicine. Topics change yearly, but have included: paralysis, malignant hyperthermia, cardiac arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, glomerulitis-Alport's, cystic fibrosis, Liddle's syndrome, hyperinsulinemia of infancy, type II diabetes mellitus, influenza, migraine headache and neurogenic inflammation, and Duchenne dystrophy. Two or three one-hour classes per topic consist of interactive discussions following assigned readings and brief lectures. Offered yearly in the fall semester.

Specialized programs of course work are drawn from the menus of classes offered by the participating departments and programs at the University of Maryland:

Popular advanced courses include:

GPLS 606 Cardiac Cellular Physiology (2 credits) Covers cardiac cellular physiology, electrophysiology, and molecular biology through lectures, readings, and discussions. Topics change yearly; recent topics have included: channels in the sarcolemma and sarcoplasmic reticulum; ion exchangers and pumps; signal transduction mechanisms; excitation-contraction coupling in heart muscle; novel aspects of cardiac muscle mechanics; and review of new molecular, optical, and electrical methods. Students present and discuss assigned papers and write a mock grant application.

GPLS 608 Seminar (1-2 credits) (Section 1, Biochemistry; section 2, Molecular Medicine; section 3, Microbiology; section 4, Neuroscience) A weekly critical review and discussion of original works and recent advances on a variety of research subjects by graduate students, faculty, staff members, and guests. Students take this course for credit at least twice, once when they present their Dissertation Proposal seminar, and once after presenting their Dissertation Defense public seminar. Molecular Medicine students take it for one additional seminar.

GPLS 616 Molecular Mechanisms of Signal Transduction (3 credits) This twice-weekly literature, discussion, and lecture course covers mechanisms of hormone action upon target cells, with emphasis on the molecular mechanisms by which hormones mediate their cellular effects. Prerequisite: completion of GPILS core curriculum, GPLS 601, 602 and 603.

GPLS 620 Cellular Basis of Synaptic Physiology and Pharmacology (3 credits) Emphasis is on electrophysiological analysis of synaptic transmission. Topics include ionic basis of excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials, equivalent circuits of transmitter action, mechanisms and regulation of transmitter release, fast and slow synaptic responses, and functional structural plasticity at synapses.

GPLS 627 Developmental Neurobiology (3 credits) This course introduces students to fundamental processes of neuronal development, including cell proliferation, differentiation of neurons and glia/cell lineage, neuronal migration, development cell death, regional differentiation, the formation of neuronal connections, plastic reorganization of the nervous system during development and developmental diseases and malformations. The underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of these processes are also explored. Each topic is covered by a lecture and a discussion of selected current papers in the literature.

GPLS 628 Seminar in Membrane Studies (1 Credit) This weekly one-hour seminar will expose students to the latest advances in the field of biological membranes through an examination of the original literature. The format involves presentations of recent papers by faculty, research fellows and students. A wide range of topics will be covered, including membrane structure and function, the molecular basis of excitation, channel function, transport mechanisms, the role of the cell membrane in controlling the cytoplasmic milieu, Ca2+ homeostasis and its relationship to excitation- contraction and excitation-secretion coupling. To receive credit, students are required to attend regularly and to give one seminar presentation.

GPLS 714 Muscle: Contractility & Excitation (3 credits) This course covers basic physiology, biochemistry, and biophysics of cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle. Topics include ultrastructure of skeletal muscle, mechanical and biochemical features of the crossbridge cycle in contraction, excitation contraction coupling, calcium-induced calcium release in cardiac muscle, and physiology and pharmacology of smooth muscle.

GPLS 715 Muscle Cell Biology & Development (3 credits) This course considers the developmental biology of muscle, including its innervation and plasticity. The course begins with a discussion of the factors controlling the proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts. Next are a consideration of fiber type determination, its relationship to use, and the effects of hypertrophy and atrophy on muscle. The structure, function, and formation of the neuromuscular junction and its relationship to the organization of structures in the extrajunctional region forms the next set of topics. Emphasis is placed on the extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton. The last part of the course deals with the relationship of activity and hormonal influences to the biochemical properties of muscle. The course meets twice weekly and consists of one lecture and one session for student oral presentations and discussion of assigned research pertinent to the lecture topic.

GPLS 721 Imaging Methods in Membrane Biology (2 credits) Examines structure-function relationships as evaluated by a range of morphological methods. One two hour session per week features readings, presentations by students, and group discussions with selected laboratory demonstration sessions. Topics include freeze fracture and negative stain analysis of membrane structure, localization of antibodies and other probes by fluorescence and electron microscopy, quantitative stereology of membranes, autoradiography, and electron probe analysis.