Courses:

Course Info

• Course Number / Code:
• 7.343 (Fall 2005) 
• Course Title:
• A Love-Hate Relationship: Cholesterol in Health and Disease 
• Course Level:
• Undergraduate 
• Offered by :
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  Massachusetts, United States  
• Department:
• Biology 
• Course Instructor(s):
• Dr. Ayce Yesilaltay 
• Course Introduction:
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  7.343 A Love-Hate Relationship: Cholesterol in Health and Disease
  
  
  
  

  Fall 2005

  
  
  

  
  
  

  Course Highlights

  
  
  

  
  
  7.343 A Love-Hate Relationship: Cholesterol in Health and Disease
  
  
  
  

  Fall 2005

  
  
  

  

  Space-filling model of a cholesterol molecule. Abnormally high levels of blood cholesterol have been positively linked to one's risk of developing coronary heart disease, the number one killer in the world. (Photograph courtesy of Andrei Ryjkov.)

  
  
  

  Course Description

  
  
  

  In this class, we will examine cholesterol's role in the cell and in the body as a whole, from its function as a structural component of the membrane to its function in signaling. We will discuss mechanisms of cholesterol sensing, mechanisms of feedback regulation in cells, cholesterol in the brain, cholesterol in the circulation, 'good cholesterol' and 'bad cholesterol,' cholesterol-related human disorders, and the drugs that deal with some of these disorders.

  This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.