Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: Life Sciences 3, 4, and 23L, or 7A, 7B, 7C, 23L, and 107. Not open for credit to students with credit for Chemistry 153B. Development of thorough understanding of fundamentals of modern molecular biology both from perspective of known molecular mechanisms for regulating fundamental processes in cells and from theoretical applied perspective for using molecular biology as laboratory tool. Special emphasis on molecular mechanisms that relate to chromatin and histone modifications, DNA replication and repair, transposition, microRNAs, meiosis, and splicing. Application of molecular biology as tool to understand embryonic development, reprogramming, cancer, and stem cells. Development of sophisticated understanding of DNA, RNA, and protein as well as capability of designing experiments to address fundamental questions in biology and interpreting experimental data. Letter grading.