BI2BR5-The Bacterial Cell

Module Provider: School of Biological Sciences
Number of credits: 10 [5 ECTS credits]
Level:5
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites: BI1S1 Introductory Microbiology
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2021/2

Module Convenor: Prof Simon Andrews
Email: s.c.andrews@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

The purpose of this module is to provide students with an understanding of fundamental aspects of bacterial, metabolism, physiology and genetics. By the end of the course students should understand how bacteria manage to utilise a wide variety of nutrients through the diversity of their metabolic capabilities and how these processes are regulated. Students will also learn about the mechanisms of important bacterial processes, such as genetic exchange, membrane assembly, solute transport, cell growth, motility and taxis, and stress (e.g. osmotic and pH) resistance. At the practical level students will learn to perform membrane preparations, transposon mutagenesis, and biofilm and evolution experiments.

Aims:
The purpose of this module is to provide students with an understanding of fundamental aspects of bacterial, metabolism, physiology and genetics. By the end of the course students should understand how bacteria manage to utilise a wide variety of nutrients through the diversity of their metabolic capabilities and how these processes are regulated. Students will also learn about the mechanisms of important bacterial processes, such as genetic exchange, membrane assembly, solute transport, cell growth, motility and taxis, and stress (e.g. osmotic and pH) resistance. At the practical level students will learn to perform membrane preparations, transposon mutagenesis, and biofilm and evolution experiments.

Assessable learning outcomes:
By the end of the module it is expected that the student will be able to:
- describe and explain key aspects of bacterial biochemistry, metabolism, physiology and genetics
- carry out membrane preparations, biofilm/evolution experiments and transposon mutagenesis.

Additional outcomes:
Students will improve their data handling skills.

Outline content:
The course will provide a general knowledge of many key aspects of the biochemistry, metabolism and physiology of bacteria. Several topics will be covered: plasmids, transposition, conjugation, transduction, motility and taxis, transport, membrane assembly, cell growth and division, and osmotic and pH regulation and evolution. Much of the information content of the module will be in the form of lectures, but practicals will also be used to reinforce the lectures and to introduce new laboratory s kills. Use of the data-handling will provide opportunities to widen the experience beyond that of laboratory bench work.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
There will be sixteen 45-minute lectures, approx 16 hours of practicals with assessment, and BB based tests. Students will be expected to hand in practical write-ups for assessment and there will be two BB tests.