Courses:

Bio 1771/1772: Special Topics in Biology: Plant-Microbe Interactions (Spring/Fall semesters)

This is a two semester course offered consecutively starting in the fall. Small enrollment (4).

Course Description:
This is a research-based laboratory course offered by Dr. Barbara Kunkel in the Biology Department. The small class size and laboratory setting of the course is intended to foster development of student-professor mentoring relationships.
 
Time commitment: 2 hours in lab, 1 hour of discussion (1 unit, P/F).
Class size:
4 students      Prerequisite
: Permission of Instructor  
 
Research Question.

      Microbial organisms play very important roles in the lives of plants and animals. For example, in nature as well as in agricultural settings, the communities of microorganisms that grow near or on plants influence the growth and overall health of these plants. These plant-associated microbial communities are highly complex, and are comprised of thousands of different species, including bacteria and fungi. However, neither the role of individual microbial species within the larger microbial community, nor how such a community is beneficial to plants, is well understood. Each year the students in Bio1771 explore a different topic related to interactions between plants and their associated microbes.
      During the 2020/2021 academic year our research will focus on virulence mechanisms used by the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae to promote disease in plants. Recent research in the Kunkel lab has revealed that the plant hormone auxin promotes disease development in interactions between P. syringae strain PtoDC3000 and one of its host, Arabidopsis thaliana, a weedy plant in the mustard family. Auxin acts through at least two different mechanisms to promote disease, including 1) suppressing defense responses in the plant and 2) regulating gene expression in the pathogen. We will investigate this second activity by screening for and characterizing PtoDC3000 mutants that do not properly respond to auxin.
      Students will spend two hours per week in lab carrying out bacteriological and molecular biology experiments. Over the course of the semester, students will be exposed to a variety of fundamental topics in biology, including: bacteriology, plant growth and development, pathogenic plant-microbe interactions, and key concepts in genetics, molecular biology and biochemistry. The students will also meet with Dr. Kunkel for one hour per week to discuss a variety of topics chosen to explore: i) basic concepts in chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology, ii) learning and study strategies, and iii) other topics related to thriving at WUSTL.

Bio 2960: Principle of Biology I (Spring semester)

Course Description:
The course provides an introduction to cell biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology. An understanding of cellular structure and mechanisms, and the properties of biological macromolecules are integrated with a discussion of the flow of genetic information within cells. Examples of how these concepts can be applied to selected areas in modern biology will be discussed. Weekly labs reinforce material from lectures and explore common laboratory techniques and computer-based resources. Completion of Chem 111A or Chem 105 and concurrent enrollment in Chem 112A or Chem 106 are strongly recommended but not required. Three hours of lecture and 2 hours of lab per week. Offered every spring semester. Large Class and small lab sections. Credit 4 units. Hafer, Kunkel

Bio 4023: How Plants Work: Physiology, Growth and Metabolism (Fall semester odd years-2019, 2021, etc)

Course Description:
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of how plants grow, metabolize and respond to their environment. Topics to be covered include the conversion of light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis and carbon fixation, nitrogen assimilation, water and mineral uptake and transport, source-sink relationships and long-distance transport of carbon and nitrogen, cell growth and expansion, hormone physiology and physiological responses to a changing environment. Prerequisite: Bio 2970, or permission of instructors.

For more information on Undergraduate courses offered through Washington University’s Biology Department and other programs within the department, please visit the Biology website: https://biology.wustl.edu/undergraduate-program