BIOL 3370 - Microbial Biology

This course is an introduction to the staggering diversity of form and function in the prokaryotic world. Topics will include aerobic and anaerobic respiration, highlighting oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthesis; carbon and nitrogen fixation, stressing global nutrient cycles; environmental and metabolic control of gene expression, especially two-component signal transduction; and enzyme co-factor biosynthesis and function, emphasizing the vitamins. Major topics will be illustrated in a biological context using unusual and beguiling prokaryotic organisms.