BIOL 440 - Molecular Virology

Units: 3
Survey of DNA and RNA viruses of bacteria, plants and animals. Focus on the molecular mechanisms of infection and replication, Braggs Law and viral structure with emphasis viruses of biomedical importance such as HIV and HCV, prions and viroids.

Strongly Recommended Preparation: BIOL 445.
Prerequisites: BIOL 310.
Equivalent Quarter Course: BIOL 4441.
Possible Instructional Methods: Entirely On-ground.
Grading: A-F grading only.
Course Typically Offered: Fall ONLY

Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Describe the structure and replication strategies of specific viruses;
Describe the process of virus latency and how the activation of viral genomes occurs during reactivation;
Compare and contrast the growth behaviors of normal cells and cells transformed by oncogenic DNA and RNA viruses;
Describe the processes of senescence and apoptosis and discuss the impact of oncogenic viruses (and specific viral gene products or activities) on these processes;
Apply experimental strategies learned in the context of individual viral systems to the design of experiments involving other systems;
Interpret data from experiments that use methodologies described and draw appropriate conclusions from the data;
Describe the rules of symmetry, Braggs Law and Quasi-equivalence as they relate to viral capsid formation.