Many bacteria are essential in food industry (fermentation of meats, cheeses, and beverages), agriculture (crop protection against weeds, pathogenic bacteria, and fungi), biotechnology (producing fine chemicals, cofactors, amino acids, and industrial enzymes) and the pharmaceutical industry (producing clinical antibiotics, anticancer, antiviral, veterinary, and immunomodulatory drugs). This laboratory course examines how basic biological understanding can lead to discovery of bacterial products, enzymes and activities useful to humankind. We combine core concepts from biochemistry, bacterial genetics, bioinformatics, chemistry and enzymology to study bacteria from the genus Streptomyces and close relatives. Lines of inquiry include environmental isolations, molecular toolbox and host development, plus bioinformatic and laboratory-based analyses of secreted proteins and antibiotics. Prerequisites: Bio 2960, Bio 2970, and Bio 349. One hour of lecture and six hours of laboratory per week. This course fulfills the laboratory requirement for the Biology major. Enrollment limited to 16. Credit 3 units. J. Blodgett