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CONTACT DETAILS |
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Department of Plant Sciences
University of Colombo
P.O.Box 1490, Colombo 03
Sri Lanka
Phone : +94(0)11 2585038
Fax : +94(0)11 2585038
Email: office@pts.cmb.ac.lk |
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FOURTH YEAR SYLLABUS - SPECIAL DEGREE IN BIOINFORMATICS |
The following course units are offered by the Department of Plant Sciences for the fourth year BioInformatics Special Degree students.
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BT 4007: ADVANCED PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (45L, 3C) |
Dependencies : BT 2006, BT 3003 and BT 3063
Syllabus: Regulation of Gene Expression: Importance of differential gene expression in plant development, components involved in regulation of gene expression, regulation at initiation of transcription, regulation at the level of transcription, post - transcriptional control, factors affecting the expression of a gene, specific examples of regulation of plant genes; Application of Gene Transfer Technology: Techniques for plant transformation, use of plant transformation to study plant physiology and biochemistry, plants as bioreactors, transgenic plants as vaccine production systems, phytoremediation of contaminated soils, regulation of research and development of transgenic plants and release of transgenic plants; Discovery / Cloning of Plant Genes: Probe based screening, Genomic and proteomic approaches, map based cloning; Molecular Biology of Plant Processes: Molecular basis of photosynthesis, gene expression in the developing seed, gene expression in ripening fruits, molecular basis of flower colour, molecular basis for sexual incompatibility in plants; Current Issues in Plant Molecular Biology.
Assessment: End of semester theory examination and practical and/or assignments.
Suggested Reading: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants (Buchanan, B.B., Gruissem, W. and Jones, R.L eds.) 2000; Developmental Regulation of Plant Gene Expression (Grierson, D. ed.) 1991; Reviews and current journal articles.
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BT 4014: RESEARCH PROJECT IN BIOINFORMATICS (180P, 6C) |
Syllabus: Each student will be required to carry out a guided research project on a specific topic given, make a presentation and submit a dissertation on the research project.
Assessment: Evaluation will be based on the research skills demonstrated, seminar (15%), the dissertation (75%) and a viva-voce examination (10%).
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BT 4016: MOLECULAR SYSTEMATICS (15L 30P, 2C) |
Dependencies: BT 3066
Syllabus: Methods in Molecular Systematics: Sampling, molecular techniques, processing molecular data and phylogenetic inference using different methods (Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood, Bayesian); Use of chloroplast, nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences in plant systematics; Use of different molecular markers at different levels of phylogeny and different problems in systematics and evolutionary studies; Phylogenetic trees and the concepts; Applications of molecular phylogenies: Organismal phylogeny, evolutionary biology, character evolution, timing the evolutionary trees, tracing the biogeographic history, evolutionary and developmental genetics and biodiversity conservation.
Assessment: End of semester theory examination and assignments
Suggested Reading: Molecular Evolution: A Phylogenetic Approach (Page, R. D. M. and Holmes, E. C.) 1998; Molecular Systematics of Plants (Soltis, P. S., Soltis, D. E. and Doyle, J. J.) 1992; Molecular Systematics (Hills, D. M., Moritz, C. and Mable, B. K.) 1996, 2 nd edition.
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Dependencies: None.
Syllabus: This is designed to provide the students with a broader perspective of bioinformatics and how it merges with other related disciplines through reading, lectures and laboratory exercises.
Assessment: Continuous assessments.
Suggested Reading: Will be specified at the beginning of the course.
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BT 4035: SEMINAR (15L, 1C)
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Syllabus: This course is devoted to reading and discussion of current topics related to the area of specialiation. Each participant is expected to become proficient with the advances in their relevant field.
Assessment: Based on the oral presentation.
Suggested Reading: Will be provided at the beginning of the course.
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