The Serpent's Kiss

19

The classroom was on the second floor of Scott Hall, where the Wayne State University Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department was centered. It was a medium-sized tiered lecture hall that could accommodate over one hundred people, though there were only about sixty today. IBS 7010, Molecular Biology, was an Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences class that the majority of graduate students in any area of biology had to take their first term in their programs.

Dr. Isaac Tschevkov was a mousy gray man with a slight hunch to his shoulders. Pink scalp peeked through white fly-away hair that he rarely combed. He stepped in front of the lectern and fumbled with the microphone. He had a wispy voice with a deep accent, and he used the microphone to project his voice throughout the auditorium. “Okay, okay,” he said over the scratching, screeching sound of the microphone he clipped to his coat lapel. He wore black dress shoes, brown slacks, a white shirt and black tie, with a brown plaid sport coat over it all. “Let’s get going,” he said. “I am Dr. Isaac Tschevkov. I’ll be covering unusual aspects of molecular translation and transcription. Presumably, since you are all graduate students, you will already be familiar with the basics. I will look at the exceptions. Today, we’ll be covering A to I RNA Editing. Can anybody tell me what this is?”

A couple students raised their hands. Tschevkov pointed to an Asian woman toward the back of the room. She had long black hair and wore jeans and a white sweater. “During—”

”Speak up,” Tschevkov said, amplified voice booming around the auditorium. “Speak up so everybody can hear you. Go ahead, stand up.”

IBS 7010 was team-taught, professors from various departments taking a swing at their areas of expertise. Tschevkov was a molecular biologist; he had spent years studying the genetics of flatworms. Today was his first day of lecturing.

She stood up, looking awkward and uncomfortable. She tried to project her voice. “Before transcription, adenosine deaminases modify individual adenosines under certain circumstances.”

“Modify them to what?” Tschevkov boomed.

“Um, inosine.”

“Ja. A, for adenosine, to I, for inosine. Thank you, miss.” Tschevkov walked over to the overhead projector and began to sketch out the molecular structures of adenosine and inosine. “This happens on particular spots of the—” He abruptly stopped speaking, a hand reaching for his throat. He coughed. “Excuse me. As I was saying…” He coughed again. Slowly, Tschevkov dropped to his knees, hand at his throat.