WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Department of Biological Sciences
La Paz, Iloilo City
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE
A Syllabus
Date Revised: May 26, 2011

I.
II.
III.
IV.

Course Number:
Course Title:
Course Credit:
Description:

BIO 212
Molecular and Cellular Biology
3 units (2 hrs lec, 3 hrs laboratory); 2 hours/week (lecture); 3 hours/week (laboratory)
This course deals with the structure, organization, function, and reproductive potentials of the cell. It includes the basic physical and chemical principles
that underlay the biological functions with concentration on the progression of molecules to multicellular organisms

V.

Universitys Vision, Mission, and Core Values

.
Vision:
Mission:
Core Values:

VI.

The West Visayas State University as one of the top universities in Southeast Asia.
To produce globally competitive life-long learners.
Service
Harmony
Excellence

Goals of the College of Arts and Sciences:

1. Offer curricular programs responsive to the needs of the community consistent with provincial, regional, national, and SEA thrusts
2. Produce graduates with a broad liberal education, professionally competive in their fields of specialization: English, Math, Political Science, and Biological Sciences.
3. Equip students with skills in critical thinking and research, nurture desirable values and attitudes, foster appreciation of our cultural heritage, and demonstrate the ability and
readiness to face and join the highly competitive world of work.
4. Provide opportunities and incentives for the faculty and students to conduct relevant researches, incubate new technologies that will contribute to the body of knowledge, and
enhance entrepreneurial and production skills that improve the quality of life
5. Share human and material resources of the college and the university in community extension projects

VII.

Objectives of the BS Biological Science Curriculum:

1. To provide BS Biology students broad liberal education and experiences in the natural sciences for them to acquire scientific information and data from various authoritative
sources to create solutions to modern day life problems and to build knowledge-based economy for the community;
2. To enable students to acquire necessary competencies and skills in pre-medical education in preparation for a medical career and in the allied sciences; and in biotechnology
or microbiology in preparation for work in the different industries.
3. To develop in the students moral understanding of the bioethical issues and their applications in the life sciences;
4. To create opportunities for the students to be aware of local and national conditions so that they can responsibly utilize their knowledge for the development of the Filipino
society.

VIII.

Course Objectives:
At the end of the course, the student should be able to :
1.
2.
3.
4.

IX.

Compare and contrast the physical, biochemical, and physiological aspects of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells; plant and animal cells
Discuss the structure, function, biochemical, and reproductive processes involved in cell organelles
Comprehend the mechanics involved in the evolution of the cell from a simple living unit to a building block for larger structures
Be familiarized with the techniques and procedures used in cell and molecular biotechnology

Content Outline

OBJECTIVES

COURSE CONTENT

LEARNING
ACTIVITIES

EVALUATION

TIME
ALLOTMENT

At the end of the period, the students

should be able to:
I.
1.
2.

3.

Be familiar with the topics to be

discussed in class.
Form working groups (preferably
by 5) for preceptorials and class
group discussions and
requirements.
Be aware of class protocols and
regulations.

Value focus: Social responsibility,

academic accountability, and
familiarization of basic
concepts.

ORIENTATION
1. Overview of course topics
2. Course requirements

Distribution of
course outline
Discussion of
course
requirements and
activities
Formation of
groups for
preceptorials
Orientation on
procedures for
Preceptorials

Group listing
3 hrs

OBJECTIVES
At the end of the period, the students should be able to:
1. conceptualize the origin of life according to Darwins Theory of Evolution
and the relationships of its postulates to modern-day organisms,
multicellularity, and the fates of the ancestral prokaryotes
2. identify the biomolecules and to explain the relationship of their structures to
their functions, as well as to their roles in cell architecture and function
3. compare and contrast the architectures of the prokaryotic and the
eukaryotic cells
4. explain the life cycle of cells and their differentiation potentials into tissues
and organs

COURSE CONTENT
Unit I. BASIC MECHANICS OF
CELL AND MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY
Chapter 1. Introduction
A. Evolution of the Cell
B. Basic Properties of
Cells: Cell Architecture
C. Two Fundamentally
Different Classes of
Cells
D. Viruses

LEARNING
ACTIVITIES
Lecture
discussion
Laboratory
activity
a. Laboratory
Activity 1:
Evolution of
the Cell
b. Laboratory
Activity 2:
Cell
Architecture
and Life Cycle

EVALUATION
Quizzes
Laboratory
activity results
Completed
models in lab
activity

TIME
ALLOTMENT

12 hrs

Value Focus: Structural Basis

OBJECTIVES

COURSE CONTENT

At the end of the period, the students should be able to:

1. recap on the basic foundations of chemical bond formation and the energy
expenditure involved in bond formation and breaking
2. explain the basic concepts of chemical equilibrium , biochemical energetics,
and activation energy and reaction rates and their relationships to cell
metabolism and biomolecule formation
Value Focus: Starting point

Unit I. BASIC MECHANICS OF

CELL AND MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY
Chapter 2. Chemical Foundations
A.
B.
C.
D.

Covalent Bonds
Noncovalent bonds
The Biomolecules
Folding, Modification,
& Degradation of
Proteins
E. Protein Technology

LEARNING
ACTIVITIES
Role playing
(group
pantomime)
Laboratory
activity
a. Laboratory
Activity 3:
Chemical
Foundations
b. Laboratory
Activity 4:
Protein
Structure,
Function, and
Assembly

TIME
ALLOTMENT
EVALUATION
Group
pantomime
evaluation
scores
Quizzes
Laboratory
activity
results

6 hrs

OBJECTIVES

COURSE CONTENT

At the end of the period, the students should be able to:

1. identify and to differentiate the hierarchial structure of proteins
2. conceptualize the origin, formation, and death of proteins
3. identify and define the functions of membrane proteins and the relationship
of their structures to their functions
4. familiarized with the technologies used in protein isolation, identification,
and characterization
Value Focus: Building structures

OBJECTIVES

Unit I. BASIC MECHANICS OF

CELL AND MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY
Chapter 3. Biochemical Energetic
A. Biochemical Energetics
B. Enzymes as Biological
catalysts
C. Metabolism

COURSE CONTENT

At the end of the period, the students should be able to:

1. conceptualize the structure, categories, and classifications of nucleic acids
2. explain the processes involved in the synthesis of biopolymers, nucleic
acids, and proteins
3. identify and define the roles of RNA and their relationship to protein
synthesis
4. enumerate and explain the processes involved in the synthesis of proteins
in the ribosomes
Value Focus: Continuity

Unit I. BASIC MECHANICS OF

CELL AND MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY
Chapter 4. Genes, Chromosomes,
and Genomes
A. Chromosomes: The
Physical Carriers of the
Genes
B. The Chemical Nature of
the Gene
C. The Structure of the
Genome
D. Stability of the Genome
E. Sequencing Genomes:
The Footprints of
Biological Evolution

LEARNING
ACTIVITIES
Lecture
discussion
Electronic media
viewing
Laboratory
activity
Laboratory
Activity 5:
Biological Order
and Energy

EVALUATION
Quizzes
Laboratory
activity
results

LEARNING
EVALUATION
ACTIVITIES
Lecture
Quizzes
discussion
Laboratory
Electronic media
activity
viewing
results
Laboratory
Completed
activity
models
a. Laboratory
Activity 5:
DNA Structure
and
Mechanisms
b. Laboratory
Activity 6:
DNA
Extraction
(Improvised)

TIME
ALLOTMENT

9 hrs

TIME
ALLOTMENT

9 hrs

OBJECTIVES

COURSE CONTENT

LEARNING
ACTIVITIES

EVALUATION

TIME
ALLOTMENT

At the end of the period, the students should be able to:

1. familiarized with the conventional and modern techniques used for studying
cell architecture and cell organelle isolation and purification
2. conceptualize the structural organization and basic functions of
biomembranes
3. enumerate and explain the functions of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell
organelles and to be able to obtain a basic background on some disorders
caused by malfunctions of these organelles
Value Focus: Functional structures

Unit I. BASIC MECHANICS OF

CELL AND MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY
Chapter 5. Cellular Membranes
A. Overview of Membrane
Functions
B. Chemical Composition of
Membranes
C. Structure and Functions of
Membrane Proteins
D. Membrane Lipids and
Membrane Fluidity
E. Dynamic Nature of
the Plasma Membrane
F. Movement of Substances
Across the Cell Membranes
G. Membrane Potentials and
Nerve Impulses

Lecture
discussion
Electronic media
viewing
Laboratory
activity
Laboratory
Activity 7:
Membrane
Physiology:
Osmosis

Quizzes
Laboratory
activity
results
Completed
models

6 hrs

OBJECTIVES
At the end of the period, the students should be able to:
1. enumerate and conceptualize the different types and causes of
mutations
2. identify the functions and roles of mutations in analysis of protein and
cell function: genetic mapping, cloning, gene replacement, and creation
of transgenic organisms

Value Focus: Structural analysis

COURSE CONTENT
UNIT II. MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY AND GENE
EXPRESSION AND
REGULATION
Chapter 1. The Path to
Gene Expression
A. Relationship Between
Genes and Proteins
B. An Overview of
Transcription in Both
Prokaryotic and
Eukaryotic Cells
C. Synthesis and
Processing of
Ribosomal and
Transfer RNAs
D. Synthesis and
Processing of
Messenger RNAs
E. Small Regulatory
RNAs and RNA
Silencing Pathways
F. Encoding Genetic
Information
G. Decoding The
Codons: The Role of
Transfer RNAs
H. Translating Genetic
Information

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Lecture discussion
Electronic media viewing
Special group
assignment

EVALUATION
Quizzes
Evaluation
result

TIME
ALLOTMENT
6 hrs

OBJECTIVES

COURSE CONTENT

At the end of the period, the students should be able to:

1. conceptualize the details in transcription initiation and regulation
2. differentiate the features in bacterial gene control and transcription
initiation with eukaryotic gene control and transcription initiation
3. discuss and explain the important features and mechanisms involved in
RNA processing, nuclear transport, and post transcriptional control
4. discuss and explain other molecular mechanisms in transcription control
and other transcription systems
5. identify and explain the roles of the enzymes involved in transcriptional
control and regulation in eukaryotes and prokaryotes

Value Focus: Regulation and Control

UNIT II. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

AND GENE EXPRESSION AND
REGULATION
Chapter 2. Controlling Gene
Expression
A. The Nucleus of a Eukaryotic
Cell
B. Control of Gene Expression
in Bacteria
C. Control of Gene Expression
in Eukaryotes
D. Transcriptional Level
Control
E. Processing Level Control
F. Translational Level Control
G. Post Translational Control:
Determining Protein
Stability

LEARNING
ACTIVITIES
Role playing
(group
pantomime)
Supplemental
lecture
discussion
Laboratory
activity
Laboratory
Activity 10:
Basic Genetic
Mechanisms:
Transcription and
Translation

EVALUATION
Group
pantomime
evaluation
scores
Quizzes
Laboratory
activity results

a.

TIME
ALLOTMENT
12 hrs

OBJECTIVES
At the end of the period, the students should be able to:
1. discuss and conceptualize the mechanisms involved in DNA
replication, repair, and recombination
2. identify and explain the roles of the different enzymes involved in DNA
replication, repair, and recombination
3. correlate the roles of DNA damage and repair to carcinogenesis

COURSE CONTENT

UNIT II. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

AND GENE EXPRESSION AND
REGULATION

Chapter 4. Replicating and

Repairing DNA
A. DNA Replication
B. DNA Repair
C. DNA Damage and their
role in carcinogenesis

LEARNING
ACTIVITIES
Lecture
discussion
Electronic media
viewing
Laboratory
activity
a. Laboratory
Activity 11:
Basic Genetic
Mechanisms:
DNA
Replication
b. Laboratory
Activity 12:
Basic Genetic
Mechanisms:
DNA Repair
Mechanisms
Model making

EVALUATION
Quizzes
Laboratory
activity results
Completed
models

TIME
ALLOTMENT
12 hrs

OBJECTIVES
At the end of the period, the students should be able to:
1. familiarized with the procedures and concepts involved in recombinant
DNA technology and Genomics
2. updated on the latest breakthroughs in recombinant DNA technology
and Genomics

Value Focus: Applying technology

COURSE CONTENT
UNIT III.
RECOMBINANT DNA
AND GENOMICS
Chapter
1. DNA Cloning with
Plasmid Vectors
2. Constructing DNA
Libraries with a
Phage and other
Cloning Vectors
3. Identifying,
Analyzing and
Sequencing Cloned
DNA
4. Bioinformatics
5. Analyzing Specific
Nucleic Acids in
Complex Mixtures
6. Producing High
Levels of Proteins
from Cloned cDNAs
7. Polymerase Chain
Reaction
8. DNA Microarrays

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Group Reporting
Electronic media viewing
Cell culture preparation

EVALUATION
Quizzes
Group reporting
evaluation
outputs
Maintained cell
culture (to be
passed after
the final
exams)

TIME
ALLOTMENT
12 hrs

OBJECTIVES
At the end of the period, the students should be able to:
1. conceptualize the detailed structures and functions of mitochondria.
2. discuss and explain the process of oxidative metabolism and the role of
mitochondria in ATP formation.
3. visualize and discuss the relationship of proton translocation and motive
force and the machinery of ATP formation
Value Focus: Structural evaluation

COURSE CONTENT
UNIT IV. CELL
ORGANELLES AND
FUNCTIONS
Chapter 1.
Mitochondrial
Structure and
Function
A. Mitochondrial
Structure and
Function
B. Oxidative
Metabolism in the
Mitochondrion
C. The Role of
Mitochondria in
the Formation of
ATP
D. Translocation of
Protons and the
Establishment of
a Proton-Motive
Force
E. The Machinery for
ATP Formation

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Lecture discussion
Electronic media viewing
Model making

EVALUATION
Quizzes
Laboratory
activity results
Completed
models

TIME
ALLOTMENT
12 hrs

OBJECTIVES
At the end of the period, the students should be able to:
1. conceptualize the detailed structures and functions of the different
organelles.
2. discuss and explain the process of vesicle transport and other
mechanisms involved in exchange of materials in the cell interior.
3. Explain and discuss the importance and significance of the discussed
organelles to organ and tissue function.
Value Focus: Structural evaluation

COURSE CONTENT
UNIT IV. CELL
ORGANELLES AND
FUNCTIONS
Chapter 2. Cellular
Organelles
and
Membrane
Trafficking
A. An Overview of
the
Endomembrane
System
B. The Endoplasmic
Reticulum
C. The Golgi
Complex
D. Types of Vesicle
Transport and
Their Functions
E. Lysosomes
F. Plant Cell
Vacuoles
G. The Chloroplast
H. The Endocytic
Pathway: Moving
Membrane and
Materials into the
Cell Interior

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Lecture discussion
Electronic media viewing
Model making

EVALUATION
Quizzes
Laboratory
activity results
Completed
models

TIME
ALLOTMENT
12 hrs

VIII. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Grade Components

Weight

Lecture:
Long Exams
Term Paper on DNA applications in Medicine
Oral and Written Reports
TOTAL (Lecture)
Midterm/Final Exams
Laboratory:
Laboratory Outputs (Worksheets)
Model Outputs
Group Evaluation
Cell Culture
TOTAL (Laboratory)

30%
20%
20%
100% (60% of grade)
30%
30%
30%
20%
20%
100% (40% of grade)

REFERENCES
1.
2.
3.
4.

Karp, G. (2010). Cell Biology. (6th ed). International Student Version. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Singapore.
th
Karp, G. (2004). Cell Biology 4 edition. John Wiley & Sons. U.S.A.
th
Lodish, H., A. Berk, SL Zipursky, et. al. (2001). Molecular Cell Biology. 4 edition. WH Freeman & Co., Baginstoke, England
Rajan, S. (2001). Introduction to Cell Biology. India

WEBSITES:
www.sciencedirect.com
www.libs.uga.edu
www.npg.com
www.sciam.com
www.metapress.com

Prepared by:

JEANNEMAR GENEVIVE Y. FIGUERAS

M.S. BIOLOGY

Approved:

CELIA P. MAGNO, M.A.T.

Chair, Biological Science Department

ROSANA GRACE BELO, Ed. D.

Director of Instruction

TEOFILO R. RABANES, Ed. D.

Dean, College of Arts & Sciences

EDITHA Y. SILLOREQUEZ, Ph. D.

Vice President for Academic Affairs