NBIA04015U Plant Molecular Biology (PlantMolBiol)

Volume 2024/2025
Education

BSc Programme in Bioinformatics
BSc Programme in Biology

Content

Lectures and seminars cover:

  • reproductive and vegetative development
  • genome analysis and gene regulation
  • light and hormone signaling
  • environmental stress & disease
  • applied plant biotechnology


Laboratory exercises cover:

  • plant development, anatomy and mutants
  • transgenics and genotyping
  • gene cloning
  • DNA and protein bioinformatics and model organism genome databasing
  • protein expression
Learning Outcome

By attending this course the student will achieve:

Knowledge:
By the end of the course, students are expected to have knowledge of the aspects of plant molecular biology that are included in the curriculum
covered by assigned reading, lectures, seminar presentations and laboratory exercises (see Absalon). Thus, students will be expected to know, among other things, about:

  • reproductive and vegetative development
  • genome analysis and gene regulation
  • light and hormone signaling
  • environmental stress & disease
  • applied plant biotechnology
  • transgenics
  • gene cloning and mapping
  • DNA and protein bioinformatics


Skills:
Students are expected to develop the following skills:

  • Explain the development and anatomy of the model plant Arabidopsis
  • Explain the uses of other model plants and crops
  • Explain how plants assimilate and transport nutrients
  • Explain the occurrence, effects and agricultural uses of the plant hormones (auxin, cytokinin, brassinosteroid, and jasmonic, salicylic, gibberellic and abscisic acids)
  • Explain the principles/steps required for cloning, PCR, sequencing, RT-PCR, mutagenesis, transposon and epitope tagging, reporter and marker genes, plant transformation, epistatic analysis
  • Explain the uses of mutants and how mutant alleles may be cloned
  • Explain forward and reverse genetic screens
  • Explain aspects of plant pathogen interactions including disease resistance and susceptibilities


Competences:
Students are expected to develop competences to:

  • Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of genetically modified plants
  • Discuss and criticize research articles orally and in writing
  • Propose experiments to test scientific models or questions
  • Interpret different types of experimental data introduced in the course
  • Use bioinformatics to search a genome database, annotate the structure of a gene, find mutations in it, identify encoded proteins, compare protein sequences, and propose gene/protein functions

See Absalon.

Students who, by the start of the course, have passed all first year courses and half of the second year courses (corresponding to a total of 90 ECTS-points) of their curriculum, should be well prepared to master the course material.
Lectures, laboratory and computer practicals, group discussions and student seminars of newer articles in high impact journals.
Students must wear lab coats for the exercises.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 16
  • Class Instruction
  • 8
  • Preparation
  • 66
  • Theory exercises
  • 6
  • Practical exercises
  • 64
  • E-Learning
  • 16
  • Project work
  • 20
  • Exam
  • 10
  • Total
  • 206
Written
Oral
Individual
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Continuous assessment
Type of assessment details
One written examination with all aids allowed (3.5 hours), one take-home assignment (5 days) and one practical report (1-page micropublication style article) on experiments done in class. Time is allocated in class to write the report and the report should be handed in at the end of the Lab exercise.

The final grade is determined by the grades of the written examination, the take-home assignment and the practical report. The three exam parts are weighted equally.
Student can pass the course without passing all three parts if the total grade is passed.
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
One internal examiner
Re-exam

Written examination, 4 hours with all aids allowed

Criteria for exam assesment

In order to obtain the grade 12 the student should convincingly and accurately demonstrate the knowledge, skills and competences described under Learning Outcome.