Department
of Molecular and Cell Biology
http://www.utdallas.edu/nsm/biology/
Faculty
Professors: Hans Bremer (emeritus), Lee A.
Bulla, Santosh R. D’Mello, Rockford K. Draper, Juan E. González, Donald M.
Gray, Lawrence J. Reitzer, C. S. Rupert (emeritus), Stephen Spiro, Li Zhang,
Michael Zhang
Associate Professors: Gail A.M. Breen, John G. Burr, Jeff L. DeJong, Ernest M. Hannig, Dennis
L. Miller
Assistant Professors: Tianbing
Xia, Zhenyu Xuan, Hyuntae Yoo
Senior Lecturers: Irena Borovkov, Mehmet Candas, Vincent P. Cirillo, Wen-Ju Lin, Robert C.Marsh, David
Murchison, Elizabeth Pickett, Ruben Ramirez, Scott A. Rippel,
Illya Sapoznikov, Wen-Ho Yu
Objectives
The
Graduate Program offers training in those aspects of molecular and cell biology
that are the bases of modern biological and biomedical sciences.
The
Master of Science degree is designed for students who wish to learn the
methodology of research in molecular and cell biology and the fundamentals of
problem solving in these areas.
The
Master of Science degree without thesis is intended for students who wish to
acquire a working knowledge of biotechnology, for other students who seek to
gain knowledge of modern biology without the intent to seek positions as
technical laboratory personnel, and for those students who are seeking additional preparation for admission to professional
schools.
The
Master of Arts in Teaching degree in Science Education
with a specialization in Biology is designed to strengthen the knowledge of
high school teachers in fundamental aspects of biology and to bring them up to
date on advances in this rapidly developing field. For further information on
this program and for course descriptions, see the Science/Mathematics Education
section of this catalog.
The
Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in Molecular and Cell Biology is
appropriate for students who show a potential for originality in research and
is designed to develop a critical and analytical understanding of current
developments, which will enable them to keep abreast of the rapid advances that
are likely to occur in the biological and biomedical fields.
The
M.S. and Ph.D. degree plans offer students the opportunity to prepare for
academic careers in colleges and universities including medical and dental
schools, and for careers in industrial, hospital, public health, environmental
and governmental laboratories and organizations.
Specializations
First-year
students will normally complete a body of core courses that emphasize
fundamental aspects of biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, and cell
biology. Students may then proceed to advanced course work in any of these four
general areas. Elective courses are open to all qualified students as
recommended by their supervising committees. First year students are also
encouraged to participate in rotations through research laboratories.
In
the second year, research is initiated under the supervision of one or more of
the Molecular and Cell Biology faculty. The faculty and their research
interests are listed below. Prospective students should recognize that it is
possible to do research in closely related areas not mentioned in this list,
provided a faculty member is prepared to supervise the work.
Gail
A.M. Breen,
Isolation and characterization of the genes that code for proteins of the
mammalian mitochondrion; mitochondrial biogenesis; eukaryotic gene regulation.
Lee A. Bulla, Molecular basis of biopesticides.
John G. Burr, Eukaryotic growth regulation; mechanism
of viral oncogenic transformation.
Santosh D’Mello, Molecular control of neuronal apoptosis
Jeff L. DeJong, Eukaryotic transcription;
initiation and activation of RNA polymerase II.
Rockford K. Draper, Membrane traffic; protein toxins; bio-nanotechnology
Juan E. González, Cell-cell interactions, role of exopolysaccharides
in nodulation of legumes by rhizobia; molecular genetics of plant-microbe
interactions.
Donald M. Gray, Study of nucleic acids and single-strand DNA binding
proteins.
Ernest M. Hannig, Control of
protein synthesis; genetic and biochemical analysis of translation initiation
factors; protein-protein interactions.
Dennis L. Miller, Structure and organization of
mitochondrial DNA; mitochondrial gene expression; RNA editing; mitochondrial
biogenesis.
Betty S. Pace, Gene therapy, sickle cell disease.
Lawrence J. Reitzer, Regulation of gene expression and
metabolism in prokaryotes.
Stephen Spiro, Regulation of bacterial gene expression
by environmental signals; genetic and physiological adaptation to stress.
Tianbing Xia, Molecular recognition; RNA structure and RNA-protein
interaction; conformational dynamics; femtochemistry
Facilities
Major
items of equipment used by the faculty and available for graduate student
research include a Leica TCS SP2 AOBS confocal microscope system, complete
Spectra-Physics femtosecond laser system, Becton Dickson fluorescence activated
cell sorter, Veeco MultiMode
SPM atomic force microscope, Molecular Dynamics PhosphoImagers,
BioRad real-time polymerase chain reaction
instruments, Beckman scintillation counters and Optima ultracentrifuges, and a Jasco J-715 spectropolarimeter.
Individual laboratories are well-equipped with instrumentation needed for
research in molecular and cell biology, including thermal cyclers,
spectrophotometers, chromatography and electrophoresis systems, chemical hoods,
and mammalian cell culture facilities.
Other
shared biology facilities include environmental chambers, a staffed media
kitchen with autoclaves and washing machines, a darkroom with an x-ray film
developer, and an electronics workshop. There is a modern research animal
housing facility on campus, as well as a GE 500 MHz FT multinuclear magnetic
resonance spectrometer.
Admission
Requirements
The
University’s general admission requirements are discussed here.
For
full participation in the Graduate Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, the
student should have a good background in calculus, general physics, organic
chemistry, biochemistry, and general biology, including genetics. Entering
students not having this background may be required to take some additional
course work in their first year or in the summer immediately preceding entry. A
minimum GRE score of 1000 (verbal plus quantitative) is advisable based on our
experience with student success in the program.
Degree
Requirements
The
University’s general degree requirements are discussed here.
Upon
satisfactory completion of the core courses (and, for Ph.D. candidates, a
favorable evaluation following the Spring semester as
described below), a Supervising Committee is appointed for each student (except
non-thesis M.S. students) based upon mutual agreement between student and
faculty. The Supervising Committee, with the Supervising Professor as
chairperson, will help the student plan an elective course curriculum and will
oversee the student’s research and thesis or dissertation.
All
students seeking the Master of Science degree in Molecular and Cell Biology
must satisfactorily complete a total of at least 36 graduate semester hours,
which must include the following core courses: BIOL 5410, BIOL 5420, BIOL 5430,
and BIOL 5440.
M.S.
students intending to submit a thesis must, in addition to the core courses
specified above, satisfactorily complete a further 20 hours of Biology courses
which includes BIOL 6193, BIOL 8398, and a minimum of 6 credit hours of general
electives for which a letter grade is assigned. The remainder of the credit
hours usually reflects experimental research but may also be based on
literature research as determined by mutual agreement of the student and
Supervising Committee. For M.S. (thesis) students, the maximum number of
Pass/Fail credits allowed within the 36 credit hour minimum is 13 semester
credit hours.
M.S.
(non-thesis) students must, in addition to the core courses specified,
satisfactorily complete a minimum of four general elective courses in Biology
(for which a letter grade is assigned) for a minimum of 9 credit hours, up to
11 semester credit hours of special electives, and/or, with approval of the
Graduate Adviser, other graduate courses. For non-thesis M.S. students, the
maximum number of Pass/Fail credits allowed within the 36 credit hour minimum
is 11 semester credit hours.
A Master of Science
Degree in Biotechnology
is also offered through the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology.
In
addition to the above Master of Science Degrees, a Master of Science in
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BCBM) is offered jointly by the
Departments of Mathematical Sciences and Molecular and Cell Biology. This
program combines coursework from the disciplines of biology, computer science,
and mathematics. Faculty from both Mathematical Sciences (MMS) and
Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) participate in the Bioinformatics and
Computational Biology program, with the Mathematical Sciences Department
serving as the administrative unit. Both departments participate in advising
students.
See
the Department of Mathematical Sciences for more information on this degree
program.
Doctor
of Philosophy
All
Ph.D. students must satisfactorily complete a total of at least 90 credit hours
beyond the bachelor’s degree. Generally, all core courses are mandatory. In
special cases, the requirement for a core course can be substituted, but only
with the permission of the instructor and the graduate adviser, and usually
only after examination. Students must include a minimum of four general
elective courses in Biology (for which a letter grade is assigned) for a
minimum of 9 credit hours. After core courses BIOL 5410, BIOL 5420, BIOL 5430
and BIOL 5440 [and, in addition, two laboratory rotations, BIOL 6V02 –(The Art of Scientific Presentation) and BIOL 6193] have
been completed, students are evaluated following the Spring semester. The
evaluation is based upon performance in the core classes, laboratory rotations,
and performance as teaching assistants (if applicable). Students who pass this
evaluation must then pass an oral qualifying examination within three semesters
to determine the student’s aptitude for continuation of dissertation research.
A dissertation defense will be conducted after the dissertation has been
written. All students are required to submit a minimum of one manuscript for
publication in an internationally recognized, peer-reviewed scientific journal.
There is no foreign language requirement.