COURSE UNIT TITLE

: FUNCTIONS AND BIOTECHNOLOGY OF PLANT SECONDARY METABOLITES

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
BYT 6016 FUNCTIONS AND BIOTECHNOLOGY OF PLANT SECONDARY METABOLITES ELECTIVE 3 0 0 8

Offered By

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences

Level of Course Unit

Third Cycle Programmes (Doctorate Degree)

Course Coordinator

PROFESSOR DOCTOR LEVENT ÇAVAŞ

Offered to

Ph.D. in Biotechnology
Ph.D. in Biotechnology
BIOTECHNOLOGY

Course Objective

A characteristic feature of plants is their capacity to synthesize and store a wide variety of low-molecular-weight compounds, the so-called secondary metabolites (SM) or natural products. The number of described structures exceeds 100 000; the real number in nature is certainly much higher because only 20 30% of plants have been investigated in hytochemistry so far. Whereas SM had been considered to be waste products or otherwise useless compounds for many years, it has become evident over the last three decades that SM have important roles for the plants producing them: they may function as signal compounds within the plant, or between the plant, producing them and other plants, microbes, herbivores, predators of herbivores, pollinating or seed-dispersing animals. More often SM serve as defence chemicals against herbivorous animals (insects, molluscs, mammals), microbes (bacteria, fungi), viruses or plants competing for light, water and nutrients. Therefore, SM are ultimately important for the fitness of the plant producing them. Students will have tried to provide an upto-date survey of the function of plant SM, their modes of action and their use in pharmacology as molecular probes, in medicine as therapeutic agents, and in agriculture as biorational pesticides.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   The students will be able to comprehend plant seconder metabolites and their general effects to the plants.
2   The students will be able to realize the ecological function and potential modes of action of plant seconder metabolites.
3   The students will be able to understand presence and defence of signal compounds at the right time and place.
4   The students will be able to have knowledge of biotechnology and utilization of seconder metabolites.
5   The students will be able to comprehend the new medical applications of plant secondary metabolites.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Ecological function of secondary metabolites
2 Presence and defence of signal compounds at the right time and place
3 Molecular Modes of Action of Defensive Secondary Metabolites
4 Molecular modes of action of Secondary Metabolites
5 Biotechnology and Utilization of Secondary Metabolites
6 Molecular Modes of Action: An Overview
7 Plant-Microbe Interactions and Secondary Metabolites with Antibacterial, Antifungal and Antiviral Properties
8 MIDTERM EXAM
9 Accumulation of Defence and Signal Compounds in Plants
10 Chemical Defence in Marine Ecosystems
11 Chemical Defence in Marine Ecosystems
12 Compounds with Anticancer and Chemopreventive Activity
13 Production of Natural Products by Plant Cell and Organ Cultures and Production of Recombinant Proteins by Plants and Plant Cell Cultures
14 Homework and Presentations

Recomended or Required Reading

Textbook(s): Michael Wink, ANNUAL PLANT REVIEWS, Vol 39, Functions and Biotechnology of Plant Secondary Metabolites Second edition

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

1. Presentation
2. Question-answer technique
3. Homework

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 MTE MIDTERM EXAM
2 ASG ASSIGNMENT
3 PRS PRESENTATION
4 FIN FINAL EXAM
5 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE MTE* 0.30 + ASG * 0.20 + PRS * 0.10 + FIN * 0.40
6 RST RESIT
7 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) MTE* 0.30 + ASG * 0.20 + PRS * 0.10 + RST * 0.40


*** Resit Exam is Not Administered in Institutions Where Resit is not Applicable.

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

Meaningful learning of the basic concepts given in presentations, association of concepts with each other, establishing the cause-result relationships and making comments by using the information available for problems and evaluating idea generation are carried out with mid-term and final exams, homework and presentations.

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

To be announced.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry
nilgun.candan@deu.edu.tr

Office Hours

Wednesday 13.30 - 15.30

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 13 3 39
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 13 3 39
Preparation for midterm exam 1 35 35
Preparation for final exam 1 40 40
Preparing Homework and Presentations 1 35 35
Midterm 1 2 2
Final 1 2 2
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 192

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6
LO.1544454
LO.2434345
LO.3555443
LO.4554444
LO.5554454