Cell Biology
BIO361
Fall 2026

PGP-2 is a C. elegans protein that was identified in a genetic screen performed by Lewis & Clark College students for mutant leading to defects in the accumulation of crystalline material typically found in lysosome-related organelles called gut granules (Schroeder et al. 2007).  PGP-2 is an ABC transporter, a class of proteins found in all cells, however its function in gut granule formation remains unknown.  Since the initial publication nearly 20 years ago little work has been done to further investigate PGP-2 function. During the fall of 2026, students in BIO361 will investigate how pgp-2(-) mutants impact gut granule formation.  The above is from Figure 2 in Schroeder et al. 2007.  

Welcome to the field of biology that aims to understand the structure and function of the fundamental unit of life - the cell. In this course our study of cells will consider five major unanswered questions in the field: (1) How are organelles made? (2) How do cells move? (3) How do organisms control their cell number? (4) How do cells communicate? (5) What mechanisms cause cancer? In considering our current answers to these questions we will integrate microscopy, biochemical, genetic, molecular, and systems biology approaches to the study of cells. We will discuss some of the hypotheses, experiments, and results that have led to our current (and only partially complete) answers to these questions. We will read and discuss primary literature articles that investigate how pathogens co-opt normal cellular processes. We will explore and discuss the relationships between cell biology and society.  Our own studies of cell biology will focus on understanding how  lysosome-related organelles are constructed in the model organism C. elegans.