DNA ligase, shown above repairing chromosomal damage, is an enzyme that joins broken nucleotides together by catalyzing the formation of an internucleotide ester bond between the phosphate backbone and the deoxyribose nucleotides. Without molecules that can mend such breaks, cells can malfunction, die, or become cancerous. (Image courtesy of the
National Institutes of Health.)
Course Highlights
This course features a complete set of
readings.
Course Description
This course focuses on the fundamentals of tissue and organ response to injury from a molecular and cellular perspective. There is a special emphasis on disease states that bridge infection, inflammation, immunity, and cancer. The systems approach to pathophysiology includes lectures, critical evaluation of recent scientific papers, and student projects and presentations. This term, the class will focus particularly on DNA repair.