Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Bulletin of Yale University
 
Introduction
Departments and Programs
Research Institutes
Policies and Regulations
Financing Graduate School
General Information
   

Cell Biology

C-207 Sterling Hall of Medicine, 785.4320
M.S., M.Phil., Ph.D.

Chair
Ira Mellman

Director of Graduate Studies
Susan Ferro-Novick (254B BCMM, 737.5207, susan.ferronovick@yale.edu)

Professors
Norma Andrews (Microbial Pathogenesis), Roland Baron (Orthopaedics), Michael Caplan (Physiology), Lynn Cooley (Genetics), Peter Cresswell (Immunobiology), Pietro De Camilli, Susan Ferro-Novick, Jorge Galán (Microbial Pathogenesis), Fred Gorelick (Internal Medicine/Digestive Diseases), James Jamieson, Keith Joiner (Internal Medicine/Infectious Diseases), Thomas Lentz, Vincent Marchesi (Pathology), Ira Mellman, Mark Mooseker (Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Michael Nathanson (Internal Medicine/ Digestive Diseases), Peter Novick, Tom Pollard (Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Elisabetta Ullu (Internal Medicine/Infectious Diseases), Graham Warren

Associate Professors
Carl Hashimoto, Sandra Wolin

Assistant Professors
Karin Reinisch, Elke Stein (Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Peter Takizawa

Fields of Study
Fields include membrane biology of eukaryotic cells (molecular mechanisms of membrane biogenesis, traffic, and fusion; organelle biogenesis), intracellular transport of membrane and secretory proteins, receptor-mediated endocytosis, generation of trans-membrane signals, epithelial cell polarity and the extracellular matrix, protein folding, membrane function in the nervous system (synapse formation and function), developmental genetics, cell biology of protozoan parasites and of pathogen/host interactions, cell biology of the immune response, mRNA and protein localization, the role of RNA particles, cell biology of bone remodeling and of the cytoskeleton. Approaches to these topics include biochemistry, molecular biology, and macromolecular crystallography; yeast and Drosophila genetics; immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy; cell fractionation; and live cell imaging.

Special Admissions Requirements
An undergraduate major in biology, biophysics, molecular biology, or biochemistry is recommended; the GRE General Test is required; a relevant GRE Subject Test is encouraged.

To enter the Ph.D. program, students apply to an interest-based track within the interdepartmental graduate program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences.

Special Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree
Five courses are required: CBIO 602a, 727b, GENE 625b, MCDB 630b, in addition to one elective in one of the following areas: Genetics, Development, Neurobiology, Immunology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Virology, or Molecular Genetics. Students plan their courses in consultation with the director of graduate studies to meet individual needs and interests. During the first year, students are also required to participate in three laboratory rotations. In the second year, a committee of faculty members determines whether each student is qualified to continue in the Ph.D. program. There is a written and oral qualifying examination at the end of the fourth term. In order to be admitted to candidacy, students must have met the Graduate School Honors requirement, maintained a better than passing record in the area of concentration, passed the qualifying examination, and submitted an approved prospectus. The remaining degree requirements include completion of the dissertation project and the writing of the dissertation and its oral defense, the formal submission of copies of the written dissertation to the Graduate School, and the deposit of an additional copy with the department. Laboratory rotations and thesis research may be conducted outside of the department.

An important aspect of graduate training in cell biology is the acquisition of teaching skills through participation in courses appropriate for the student’s scientific interests. These opportunities can be drawn from a diverse menu of lecture, laboratory, and seminar courses given at the undergraduate, graduate, and medical school level. Ph.D. students are expected to participate in two terms (or the equivalent) of teaching. Students are not expected to teach during their first year.

Master's Degrees
M.Phil. Requirements for the M.Phil. degree are the same as for admission to candidacy (see above).

M.S. See Graduate School requirements; this degree is normally granted only to students who are withdrawing from the Ph.D. program.

Program materials are available upon request to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Cell Biology, Yale University, PO Box 203333, New Haven CT 06520-3333.

Courses
CBIO 502, The Cellular Basis of Human Biology.  James Jamieson, Thomas Lentz, Fred Gorelick, and staff.
This full-year course is designed to provide medical students with a current and comprehensive review of biologic structure and function at the cellular, tissue, and organ system levels. Areas covered include replication and transcription of the genome; regulation of the cell cycle and mitosis; protein biosynthesis and membrane targeting; cell motility and the cytoskeleton; signal transduction; nerve and muscle function; and endocrine and reproductive cell biology. Clinical correlation sessions, which illustrate the contributions of cell biology to specific medical problems, are interspersed in the lecture schedule. Histophysiology laboratories provide practical experience with the light microscope for exploring cell and tissue structure.

CBIO 503, Histology Laboratory.  Thomas Lentz and staff.
A laboratory in microscopic anatomy to be taken in conjunction with CBIO 502.

CBIO 601, The Molecular and Cellular Basis of Human Disease.  Pietro De Camilli, Fred Gorelick, and staff.
An exploration of primary literature and critical assessment of the data that form a basis for understanding human disease. A series of human genetic diseases, whose mechanisms have been identified as a result of sequencing of the human genome, are explored. Students are required to search out supportive data, discuss it with the session leader, and present it to the group. This course runs in parallel with CBIO 502.

CBIO 602a, Molecular Cell Biology.  Sandra Wolin, Thomas Pollard, Graham Warren, and faculty. MW 1.45–3
A comprehensive introduction to the molecular and mechanistic aspects of cell biology for graduate students in all programs. Emphasizes fundamental issues of cellular organization, regulation, biogenesis, and function at the molecular level. Also MB&B 602a, MCDB 602a.

 CBIO 603a, Seminar in Molecular Cell Biology.  Sandra Wolin, Thomas Pollard, Graham Warren, and faculty. Th 9–11
A graduate-level seminar course in modern cell biology. The class is devoted to the reading and critical evaluation of classical and current papers. The topics are coordinated with the CBIO 602a lecture schedule. Thus, concurrent or previous enrollment in CBIO 602a is required. Also MCDB 603a.
CBIO 727b, Advanced Seminar Course.  Susan Ferro-Novick.
This seminar course, which meets once a week, covers several topics suggested by the second-year cell biology students. It should serve to introduce students to areas they might not have considered in prior courses. Each topic is spread over 3–6 sessions, starting with an introductory overview and followed by detailed analysis of key papers.

CBIO 900a and 901b, First-Year Introduction to Research.  Susan Ferro-Novick, Ronald Breaker, Michael Stern.
Lab rotations, Grant Writing and Ethics for Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development track students. Also GENE 900a and 901b, MCDB 900a and 901b.

Next: Cellular and Molecular Physiology