EB 3860 - Prokaryotic Processes

3 lecture hours 0 lab hours 3 credits

Course Description
This course explores how to harness the metabolic diversity of prokaryotes for biocatalysis and bioremediation applications. The energetics and regulation of diverse metabolic strategies are discussed in the context of environmental and industrial case studies. Signal transduction and quorum sensing are examined as tools for managing natural and engineered microbial populations. Students will apply these concepts to solve problems in biocatalytic pathway prediction and control. (prereq: EB 2410 and EB 2240)

Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

Express familiarity with prokaryotic metabolic diversity
Describe the influence of various environmental factors on prokaryotic metabolism
Evaluate microbial communities as engineered systems and make informed choices about microbial system design
Make reasonable hypotheses about metabolic pathways for novel substrates/products
Describe mechanisms of global regulation, signal transduction, and quorum sensing in bacteria
Discuss current and future applications of prokaryotic control strategies to a variety of engineering challenges

Prerequisites by Topic

Fundamentals of cellular metabolism and bioenergetics
Gene regulation and prokaryotic operons

Course Topics

Introduction to bacterial physiology & metabolism
Composition & structure of prokaryotic cells
Biosynthetic pathways
Growth strategies
Aerobic metabolism of non-glucose substrates
Anaerobic metabolism
Chemolithotrophy
Metabolic pathway prediction
Fundamentals of metabolic regulation
Methods of metabolic regulation
Specific responses to environmental stimuli
Microbial survival strategies

Coordinator
Dr. Anne Alexander

Announcement

The Raider Return

Milwaukee School of Engineering

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EB 3860 - Prokaryotic Processes