2. Professors
  3. Teaching

GENETICS

Maria VIVO GENETICS

0512800036
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY "ADOLFO ZAMBELLI"
EQF6
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
2024/2025

OBBLIGATORIO
YEAR OF COURSE 3
YEAR OF DIDACTIC SYSTEM 2016
AUTUMN SEMESTER
CFUHOURSACTIVITY
864LESSONS
MARIA VIVO T Curriculum
Objectives
THE GENETICS COURSE AIMS TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH A SOLID FOUNDATION OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GENETICS THROUGH THE STUDY OF FORMAL, MOLECULAR AND POPULATION GENETICS THAT WILL BE ESSENTIAL FOR THEIR FUTURE TRAINING IN THE BIOLOGICAL FIELD.
THE STUDENT WILL ACQUIRE:
-KNOWLEDGE OF THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF DNA REPLICATION, TRANSCRIPTION AND TRANSLATION.
- THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE UNDERLYING LABORATORY TECHNIQUES USED IN MOLECULAR GENETICS AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
THE STUDENT WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO:
- UNDERSTAND THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GENETICS AND THEIR APPLICATION IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, GENOMICS AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
-UNDERSTAND THE INHERITANCE OF GENETIC TRAITS THROUGH THE STUDY OF INHERITANCE PATTERNS.
THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO:
- EXAMINE THE INHERITANCE OF GENETIC TRAITS THROUGH THE STUDY OF INHERITANCE PATTERNS.
- SOLVE PROBLEMS IN GENETICS, INCLUDING DETERMINING THE PHENOTYPE AND GENOTYPE OF ORGANISMS, PREDICTING THE RISK OF GENETIC DISEASES AND ANALYSING GENETIC DATA.
- UNDERSTAND CLONING STRATEGIES
THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO
- DISCERN THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DIFFERENT BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS
- APPLY THE NOTIONS OF GENETICS TO PERSONALISED MEDICINE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
- BECOME FAMILIAR WITH RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN GENETIC RESEARCH AND THEIR APPLICATION TO PERSONALISED MEDICINE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY.
THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THE RESULTS OF HIS/HER OWN AND OTHERS' RESEARCH IN THE SCIENTIFIC FIELD USING LITERATURE RELEVANT TO A GIVEN ISSUE USING THE APPROPRIATE TERMINOLOGY AND VOCABULARY.THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO UPDATE OR EXPAND THEIR KNOWLEDGE BY DRAWING ON SPECIALISED TEXTS INDEPENDENTLY.

Prerequisites
STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE SUCCESSFULLY PASSED THE EXAM BIOLOGY OF THE CELL AND ISTOLOGY. IT IS RECOMMENDED FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF GENETICS THAT A DEEP AND REVISED BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF BIOCHEMISTRY
Contents
MENDELIAN ANALYSIS (4H FRONTAL LECTURE + 2H EXERCISE)
GENETIC SIGNIFICANCE OF MITOSIS AND MEIOSIS; MENDEL'S LAWS; GENOTYPE AND PHENOTYPE; COMPLETE, INCOMPLETE DOMINANCE AND CODOMINANCE; LETHAL ALLELES; MULTIPLE ALLELES

CHROMOSOMAL THEORY OF HEREDITARIETY (4H FRONT LECTURE + 2H EXERCISE)
GENES AND CHROMOSOMES; NON-DISJUNCTION; SEX-LINKED INHERITANCE; MECHANISMS OF GENETIC SEX DETERMINATION; MENDELIAN CHARACTERS IN HUMANS AND FAMILY TREE ANALYSIS

EXTENSION OF MENDELIAN ANALYSIS (2H FRONT LECTURE + 2H EXERCISE)
PLEIOTROPY; PENETRANCE AND EXPRESSIVITY; INTERACTIONS BETWEEN GENES; GENETIC COMPLEMENTATION;

GENETIC MAPS IN EUCARIOTS (4H FRONT LECTURE + 2H EXERCISE)
ASSOCIATION; GENETIC RECOMBINATION; CROSSING-OVER; GENETIC MAPS; ANALYSIS OF RECOMBINATION IN HAPLOID ORGANISMS; TETRAD ANALYSIS; GENE CONVERSION AND HOLLIDAY MODEL OF CROSSING-OVER; MITOTIC CROSSING-OVER

GENETIC MAPS IN BACTERIA AND BACTERIOPHAGIES (4H FRONT LECTURE + 2H EXERCISE)
GENETIC MAPS IN BACTERIA: TRANSFORMATION, CONJUGATION, TRANSDUCTION. GENETIC MAPS IN PHAGES.

GENE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION (12H FRONT LECTURE + 2H EXERCISE)
THE ONE-GENE-ONE-ENZYME HYPOTHESIS; BENZER EXPERIMENTS; THE FINE STRUCTURE OF THE GENE; DEFINITION OF THE UNIT OF FUNCTION BY THE COMPLEMENTATION TEST; THE GENETIC CODE: DECIPHERING, PROPERTIES AND ORGANISATION; GENE-PROTEIN CO-LINEARITY IN PROKARYOTES AND EUKARYOTES

PRODUCTION MECHANISMS OF GENETIC VARIABILITY (4H FRONT LECTURE):
MUTATIONS AND FLUCTUATION TESTS; INTRAGENIC AND INTERGENIC REVERSE MUTATION AND SUPPRESSION; MOLECULAR MECHANISMS GENERATING SPONTANEOUS MUTATIONS; PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL MUTAGENS AND INDUCED MOLECULAR DAMAGE; MUTAGENESIS TESTS;
CHROMOSOME MUTATIONS; CHROMOSOME ABERRATIONS; ANEUPLOIDIES, MONOPLOIDIES AND POLYPLOIDIES; CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF CHROMOSOME REARRANGEMENTS; EFFECTS OF REARRANGEMENTS ON GENE EXPRESSION; INACTIVATION OF THE X-CHROMOSOME, DOSAGE COMPENSATION; MOSAICISMS

REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION IN PROKARYOTES (4H FRONT LECTURE)
BASIC MECHANISMS OF GENE EXPRESSION IN BACTERIA; ELEMENTS OF TRANSCRIPTION CONTROL IN PROKARYOTES, POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE REGULATION OF TRANSCRIPTION, OPERONS, THE ATTENUATION MODEL; JACOB AND MONOD EXPERIMENTS

REGULATION OF TRANSCRIPTION IN EUKARYOTES (6H FRONT LECTURE): TRANSCRIPTION; INACTIVATION OF THE X-CHROMOSOME AND DOSAGE COMPENSATION; MECHANISMS OF EPIGENETIC REGULATION: HISTONE MODIFICATIONS;

EXTRANUCLEAR INHERITANCE (2H FRONT LECTURE)
OVERVIEW OF THE MITOCHONDRIA AND PLASTID GENOME; CYTOPLASMIC INHERITANCE; MATERNAL EFFECT

POPULATION GENETICS (2H FRONT LECTURE)
OUTLINES OF POPULATION GENETICS; HARDY-WEINBERG'S LAW AND ITS APPLICATIONS; EVOLUTIONARY MECHANISMS; MUTATION; MIGRATION; GENETIC DRIFT; NATURAL SELECTION AND FITNESS

INTRODUCTION ON GENETIC ENGINEERING (1CFU L)

Teaching Methods
THE TEACHING OF BASIC GENETICS CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF LECTURES OF TWO HOURS EACH, FOR A TOTAL OF 8 CFU. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE COURSE IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL SKILLS THROUGH THE STUDY OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE GENE CONCEPT, INTEGRATING PHENOTYPE OBSERVATIONS, EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE, AND LOGICAL DATA ANALYSIS.
TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, THE COURSE USES A COMBINATION OF TEACHING METHODS, INCLUDING LECTURES AND GROUP ACTIVITIES. DURING THE COURSE, STUDENTS WILL BE DIVIDED FROM TIME TO TIME INTO GROUPS TO DISCUSS EXAMPLES AND PRACTICAL CASES RELATED TO THE CONCEPTS PRESENTED DURING THE LECTURES. THESE DISCUSSIONS WILL ENABLE STUDENTS TO DEEPEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF GENETICS CONCEPTS AND DEVELOP THE ABILITY TO APPLY THEM TO REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS (12HRS ESERCISE-BASED ACTIVITY). STUDENTS WILL PUT INTO PRACTICE THE KNOWLEDGE AND METHODOLOGY LEARNED IN CLASS DURING LABORATORY HOURS, IN WHICH THEY WILL EXPLORE GENETIC ENGINEERING METHODOLOGIES (1CFU L).
DURING THE COURSE, WRITTEN AND/OR ORAL ASSESSMENTS MAY BE ADMINISTERED TO TEST THE STUDENT'S LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE GENETICS CONCEPTS PRESENTED DURING THE COURSE. THESE FACE-TO-FACE ACTIVITIES ARE COMBINED WITH AN INDIVIDUAL STUDYING. STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVOTE TIME TO INDIVIDUAL STUDY IN ORDER TO DEEPEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPTS PRESENTED DURING THE LECTURES. TO THIS END, STUDY MATERIALS SUCH AS TEXTBOOKS, SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES, AND ONLINE RESOURCES WILL BE PROVIDED.


Verification of learning
THE ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING IN THE BASIC GENETICS COURSE IS BASED ON A WRITTEN TEST AND AN ORAL INTERVIEW. THE WRITTEN TEST LASTS 60 MINUTES AND CONSISTS OF EXERCISES IN FORMAL AND POPULATION GENETICS, INCLUDING IDENTIFYING A GENOTYPE FROM THE PROGENY, FORMULATING A GENETIC MAP, IDENTIFYING THE TRANSMISSION MODE OF HUMAN SYNDROMES FROM THE FAMILY TREE, ASSESSING THE EQUILIBRIUM STATUS OF A POPULATION, AND QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE MECHANISMS OF DNA REPLICATION, GENE EXPRESSION AND THE USE OF VARIOUS MODEL SYSTEMS FOR GENETIC ANALYSIS.

THE ORAL TEST SERVES TO FILL ANY GAPS FOUND IN THE WRITTEN TEST AND TO VERIFY THE LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE THEORETICAL BASES GOVERNING THE INDICATED MECHANISMS. IN PARTICULAR, IT WILL BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT THE QUALITY OF THE EXPOSITION, THE USE OF APPROPRIATE SCIENTIFIC LANGUAGE, THE ABILITY TO CROSS-REFERENCE THE VARIOUS TOPICS OF THE COURSE AND WITH OTHER DISCIPLINES AND THE AUTONOMY OF JUDGEMENT DEMONSTRATED.

THE FINAL GRADE, EXPRESSED IN THIRTIETHS WITH POSSIBLE HONOUR, WILL DEPEND ON THE OVERALL MATURITY ACQUIRED WITH REGARD TO THE COURSE CONTENT AND ON THE ABILITY DEMONSTRATED BY THE STUDENT TO TACKLE PROBLEMS, INCLUDING THOSE NOT COVERED IN LECTURES, MAKING ORIGINAL OBSERVATIONS AND DEMONSTRATING DEDUCTION AND CORRELATION SKILLS, WITH THE VERIFICATION OF THE HYPOTHESES FORMULATED.
Texts
THE FOLLOWING REFERENCE TEXTS ARE RECOMMENDED FOR FURTHER STUDY OF THE COURSE CONTENT:
"GENETICS - FROM FORMAL ANALYSIS TO GENOMICS" BY HARTWELL, HOOD, GOLDBERG, REYNOLDS, SILVER AND VERES
'MODERN GENETICS' BY GRIFFITHS, MILLER, GELBART AND LEWONTIN

IN ADDITION, THE FOLLOWING TEXTS ARE RECOMMENDED FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPTS PRESENTED IN CLASS:
"GENETICS - ANALYSIS OF GENES AND GENOMES" BY HARTL AND JONES
"RECOMBINANT DNA. GENES AND GENOMES' BY WATSON, CAUDY, MYERS AND WITKOWSKI.
More Information
THE PROFESSOR WILL PROVIDE FURTHER EXPLANATIONS AND METHODOLOGICAL SUPPORT TO THE STUDENTS DURING THE RECEPTION HOURS. DAYS, TIMES AND PLACES OF RECEPTION, AS WELL AS ANY CHANGES, ARE COMMUNICATED TO THE FOLLOWING LINK: HTTPS://DOCENTI.UNISA.IT/031897/HOME
FURTHERMORE, IT IS POSSIBLE TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT OUTSIDE THE SCHEDULED RECEPTION TIMES BY SENDING AN EMAIL TO THE ADDRESS MVIVO@UNISA.IT

  BETA VERSION Data source ESSE3 [Ultima Sincronizzazione: 2024-11-18]