Fall, 2010 Required Materials

Course Outline

Online Resources

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I.   Introduction to the study of Genetics      -  Chapter 1

 

    - Genetics - Stability & Variation

 

   A.  Darwin - Evolution

 

       1.  Pre-Darwin Ideas

           a.  The Homonculus

           b.  The fixity of species

           c.  The Scopes Trial - Creationism vs. Evolution

       2.  Darwin (Wallace) - The Origin of the Species (1859)

           a.  The Theory of Natural Selection

           b.  Survival of the Fittest

   B.  Mendel - Transmission Genetics (1859)

   C. Weismann - Germplasm

   D. Basic Consepts of Genetics - Review and Self Study

   E.  Genetics and Society

       - Soviet Science:  The Lysenko Affair

 

II.  Cellular Basis of Inheritance -   Chapters  2, 5, & 9

   A.  Cell Structure

       1.  Prokaryotes

       2.  Eukaryotes

           a.  Homologous Chromosomes

           b.  Human Chromosomes

   B.  Mitosis and Cell Division

       Introduction

       a.  Phages  (stages)

       b.  Cytokinesis

   C.  Genetic Regulation of the Cell Cycle

       1. Cell Cycle - Mitosis,  G1, G0

           a.  Protein Kinases

           b.  Cyclins

           c.  Cyclin-dependent kinase  (Cdk)

           d.  Checkpoints

   D.  Meiosis and Sexual Reproduction

       1.  Introduction

           a.  Phages  (stages)

                1) First Division

                2)  Second Division

       2.  Spermatogenesis

       3.  Oogenesis

       4.  Evolutionary Variation

   E.  Human Chromosome Variation

       1.  Sex Chromosomes

           a.  Klinefelter Syndrome

           b.  Turner Syndrome

       2.  Aneuploidy  (autosomes)

           a.  euploidy

           b.  polyploidy

           c.  monosomy

           d.  trisomy

III.  Mendelian Genetics   -    Chapter 3

 

   A.  The Scientific Process of Investigation

   B.  Mendel - The Monohybrid Cross

       1.  Unit Factors in Pairs

       2.  Dominance/recessiveness

   C.  The Dihybrid Cross

       1.  Independent Assortment

IV.  Modification of Mendelian Ratios    -   Chapter 4

 

  A.  Incomplete or Partial Dominance

   B.  Codominance

   C.  Multiple Alleles

           1.  The ABO Blood Groups

           2.  Gene Interaction - Epistasis

           3.  Gene Interaction - Continuous (Quantitative) variation

           4.  Sex-Linked - Hemophilia

           5.  Sex Limited

           6.  Sex Influenced Inheritance - feathers in roosters and hens

 

 

EXAM # 1

 

V.  Recombination and Mapping in Bacteria and Bacteriophages      -  Chapter 6

 

   A.  Genetic Recombination in Bacteria

       1.  Introduction

       2.  Bacterial and Viral Nucleic acids

       3.  Bacterial chromosomes

           a.  Plasmids

           b.  Episomes

           c.  Viral DNA - DS Vs. SS

           d.  Viral RNA  - DS Vs SS  (Reverse transcriptase)

       4.  Conjugation - Leaderberg & Tatum - 1947

           a.  Episome transfer

           b.  Hfr Bacteria and Chromosome Mapping

       5.  Bacterial Transformation

           a.  Griffith - 1928

           b.  Avery - 1944

           c.  Current Research

       6.  Transduction - Zinder and Lederberg - 1961

           a.  Generalized transduction - plasmid prophage

           b.  Genetic Study of Bacteriophages - Phage T4

               1) progression - infection

               2) The plaque assay

           c.  Mutation and Recombination in Viruses

           d.  Mixed infection experiments

           e.  Intragenic exchange of vDNA - Seymour Benzer 1950

               1) complementation

               2) fine-structure analysis of the gene

       7.  Transferring DNA in Eucaryotes -  Chapter 15

           a.  Mammalian cells  (humans)

               1)  Coprecipitation - Microinjection

               2)  Fusion

               3)  Electroporation  -  Yeast Artifical Chromosomes  (YACs)

               4)  Adenoviruses, herpes viruses (nervous sys.) and Retroviruses

           b.  Gene Therapy  -  Chapter 16

               1) Maloney murine leukemia virus (Maloney MLV) - vector

               2)  Procedural regulations

               3)  Examples of Gene Therapy

               4)  Cyctic fibrosis

               5)  Potential Problems

 

VI.  Extranulcear Inheritance -  Chapter 8

   A. Introduction

   B.  Maternal Effect

   C.  Organelle Heredity

       1.  Human mitochondrial DNA ( mtDNA)

           - Leber's Heredity Optic Neuropathy (LHON)

   D.  Infectious Hereditary - Drosophila willistoni - sex-ratio disorder

VII. Nucleic Acid Structure, Replication and Recombination - Chapters 10, 11, 12, and 17

   A.  DNA - Deoxyribonucleic Acid

       1.  DNA as the hereditary material

       2.  1944 - Avery, MacLeod and McCarthy

       3.  1952  Hershey & Chase

       4.  1960  Guthrie and Sincheimer

       5.  Mintz (Transgenic animals)

   B.  Nucleic Acid Chemistry

       1.  Nucleotides - purines vs. pyrimidines

       2.  Ribose vs. deoxyribose sugar

   C. DNA  Structure and Replication

        1.  DS - DNA Polymerase I,II, & III

       2.  Primase

       3.  DNA Ligase

       4.  Helicases

       5.  DNA Topoisomerases

   D. DNA Replication in Prokaryotes - a general model

       1.  Helicase

       2.  Topoisomaerses

       3.  Primase

       4. DNA Polymerase III

           a.  Continuous.

           b.  Discontinuous.  (Okazaki fragments).

       5.  DNA Polymerase

 

EXAM # 2

 

   E. DS - DNA - organization in Chromatin and Chromosomes

 

       1.  Teleomeres

       2.  Heterochromatin - Repetitive sequences of DNA

           a.  Short interspersed elements (SINEs)

           b.  Long interspersed elements (LINEs)

           c.  Variabel number Tandem Repeats (VNTRs)

           d.  DNA fingerprint  (Forensic investigations)

       3.  Euchromatin

       4.  Chromatin and Chromosome structure histones

           a.  Topoisomerase II

           b.  Nucleosomes

           c.  Human DNA polymerases

               1)  Alpha (a-A)

               2)  Beta (b-B)

               3) Gamma ( g-G )

               4)  Delta  (d-D)

           d.  Telomerase

   F.  DNA  Analysis   - Chapter 10,  Appendix A

       1.  DNA Isolation - solubility

       2.  Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) - amplification

       3.  Gel Electrophoresis - Molecular weight and conformation

       4.  DNA Hybridization

   G.  RNA - Ribonucleic Acid -  Chapters 10, 12, 1

       1.  Introduction

        2.  RNA functions

           a. Protein synthesis

           b.  Chromosme Telomere replication

       3.  RNA Nucleotides - Composition

       4.  RNA Synthesis (DNA transcription)

           a.  Prokaryotes

               1) RNA Polymerase I     4 subunits (a, b, b', s)

           b.  Eucaryotes - Nucleus

               1) Polymerase I, II, & III

               2) synthesis rRNA (nucleolus)

              3) synthesis mRNA

                   - synthesis 5S rRNA  & tRNA

               4) Transcription

                   - promotors

                   - enhancers

                5). mRNA Processing - posttranscriptional modifications

                   - Protective caps - 7-methyl-guanosine (7mG)

                   - tails - poly-adenylic acid  (polyA)

                   - mRNA Splicing - introns & exons

                   - mRNA Editing

           c.  Retroviruses

               1) Reverse transcription

   5.  RNA Types

       a. size - Svedberg coefficient units - S

       b. Function

           1) Ribosomal RNA (rRNA)

           2) Transfer RNA (tRNA)

           3) Other Variations of RNA

               - Telomerase RNA

               - Small Nuclear RNA  (snRNA)

               - Antisense RNA - gene regulation

               - Heterogeneous nuclear RNA (hnRNA)

 

VIII.  Storage and Expression of Genetic Information - Chapters 12, 12, 18 &19

 

   A.  Protein Synthesis - Procaryote Translation

       1.  Anabolic process

       2.  Charging tRNA

       3.  Translation Initiation Complex

       4.  Translation Elongation

       5.  Translation Termination

   B.  Protein Synthesis - Eukaryote Translation

       1.  Post - translational Modifications

   C.  Regulation of Gene Expression  -  Chapters 18 & 19

       1. Prokaryotes

           a.  Lactose metabolism in E.coli - Enzyme Induction

              1) Inducible enzymes and Inducers

              2)  Lactose Operon - Jacob & Monod - 1950's

                   - Lac Operon - mechanism

                   - Lactose absent  (active repressor present)

                   - Lactose present (Inducer)

                   - Lac Operon - Catabolite Repression

                   - Catabolite Activating Protein (CAP)

                   - CAP Regulation cyclic-AMP (cAMP)

                   -cAMP Regulation

       2. Viruses

           a. a - Repressor - c1 reperssor gene.

           b.  Cro protein - Cro proteolytic enzyme (recA)

       3.  Eukaryotes

          a.  Regulation of Transcription

               1)  Promotors

               2)  Enhancers

                   - helix - turn-helix (HTH)

                   - zinc fingers & leucine zippers

           b.  Gene Alterations

               1)  Posttranscriptional modifications

                   - Caps and Tails

                   - mRNA Splicing

           c.  Regulation of Nuclear membrane Transport

           d.  Regulation of Transclation

           e.  Posttranscriptional modifications of polypeptides

                1)  Polypeptide additions - Iron in Hb

        

    EXAM # 3

      

 

    IX.  Gene Mutaion, DNA Repair, and Transposable Elements - Chapter 14

       A.  Mutation

           1.  Introduction

           2.  Gametic versus Somatic cell Mutations

           3.  Spontaneous versus Induced Mutations

           4.  Molecular Basis of Mutation

               a.  Base analogs

                   1) Acyclovir  (zovirax)

               b.  Alkylating Agents

                   1)  Ethylene Oxide

               c.  x-rays  (also gamma rays & cosmic rays)

               d.  Ultraviolet Radiation  (UV light)  A vs. B

                   1) Thymine dimers - UV light energizes electrons

           5.  DNA repair

               a. photoreactivation repair

               b.  Excision repair

               c.  Proofreading repair

           6.  Human Mutations and Disease

               a.  UV Radiation (sunlight) and Human Skin Cancer

               b.  Sickle Cell Anemia

           7.  Transposons   (Transposable Genetic Elements)

 

   X.  Recombinant DNA Technology - Chapters 15, 16 & 17

       A.  Biotechnology - Genetic Engineering

           1.  Introduction

           2.  Isolation of DNA

           3.  The Carrier (vector) of DNA

               a.  plasmids

               b.  viruses

               c.  cosmids

           4.  Combining a gene and it's carrier

              a.  Restriction Endonucleases

               b.  Ligase

               c.  The Host Organism

                   1)  Prokaryote - E. Coli

                   2)  Eukaryote - yeast Artificial Chromosomes  (YAC)

               d.  The Delivery of DNA into the Host

                   1)  transformation  ( transfection)

                   2)  transduction

               e.  The Selection of Genetically Engineered Cells

                   1)  Cell markers

       B.  DNA Analysis

           1.  DNA Sequencing

               a.  Identifying the letters of the code  (Sanger Method)

               b.  DNA Fingerprints  (Typing, Profiling)

                   1) Introduction

                       -  The Case of the Telltale palo Verde

                   2)  Human Genome

                       - Autosome strucure

                       -  Euchromatin  (5-10%)

                       - Heterochromatin (90-95%)

                           - 90-95% Heterochromatin - VNTRs, SINEs, and LINEs

                           - Restriction Endonucleases Recognition Sites  (RERS)

                           - Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLP)

               c.  Polymerase Chain Reaction  (PCR)

               d.  Genetic Privacy

               e.  Human Genome Project

                   1)  Diagnosing and Screening for Genetic Disorders

    XI.  Genetics and Cancer  - Chapter 21

       A.  The Cell Cycle and Cancer

       B.  genes and Types of Cancer

       C.  Oncogenes

    

    XII.  Population Genetics - Chapter 24

       A.  Populations and Gene Pools

           1)  Introduction

           2)  Population Variation

               a.  mutation - prehistoric populations

               b.  prehistoric and recent migration

               c.  natural selection

            3)  The Hardy - Weinberg Law  (HWL)

               a.  The calculation of allele frequency in a population

               b.  Three properties of HWL Asumed ideal conditions

               c.  HWL - mathematical Formula:  p2 + 1 pq + q2

               d.  HWL - Analysis of population stability and variation

                   1) genotype stability

                   2)  allele equilibrium

                   3)  heterozygous frequency

                   4)  mutation & allele frequencies

                   5)  migration - mixing of population alleles

                   6)  natural selection

                   7)  genetic drift - Pingelap atoll inhabitants  (Inbreeding)

   XIII  Genetics and Evolution   -  Chapter 25

       A.  Wallace, Darwin and the Origin of Species

           1.  Introduction - speciation

           2.  Wallace-Darwin Evolution

                  a.  Major Components of Theory

       B.  The Rate of Speciation

           1.  Phyletic Gradualism

           2.  Quantum Speciation

               a.  Punctuated equilibrium

               b.  Founder - Flush Theory

               c.  Allopolyploidy

       C.  Using Molecular Techniques to Study Evolution

           1.  Introduction

           2.  DNA Hybridization

           3.  Restriction fragment Length Polymorphisms

           4.  Protein Analysis