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ADVANCED GENETICS

Maria VIVO ADVANCED GENETICS

CB22100004
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY "ADOLFO ZAMBELLI"
EQF7
BIOLOGY
2025/2026



OBBLIGATORIO
YEAR OF COURSE 1
YEAR OF DIDACTIC SYSTEM 2025
AUTUMN SEMESTER
CFUHOURSACTIVITY
540LESSONS
112LAB
MARIA VIVO T Curriculum
Objectives
THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE ADVANCED GENETICS COURSE IS TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF GENETICS AT THE MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR LEVEL APPLICABLE TO EUKARYOTIC ORGANISMS, WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON THE HUMAN MODEL
THE STUDENT WILL ACQUIRE: KNOWLEDGE IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR AND HUMAN GENETICS.THEY WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE GENETIC BASIS OF COMPLEX DISEASES, WILL BE ABLE TO USE EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES TO DISSECT GENE FUNCTION IN EUKARYOTES, APPLYING GENETIC METHODOLOGIES AND MODELS FOR THE ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL PHENOMENA AND FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF GENE INTERACTIONS AND REGULATORY HIERARCHIES. CONSULTATION OF ONLINE GENETIC AND BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATABASES, AND USE OF BASIC ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES RELATED TO NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING. LITERATURE ANALYSIS.
THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO ANALYSE AND DISCUSS FUNCTIONAL GENETICS TOPICS WITH MASTERY, PROPOSING INVESTIGATION STRATEGIES IN APPROPRIATE MODEL SYSTEMS. HE/SHE WILL BE ABLE TO APPLY THE ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE IN THE FIELD OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH. USE GENOMICS-RELATED TECHNOLOGIES IN THE STUDY OF GENE REGULATION. WILL BE ABLE TO PLAN GENOMIC EDITING AND CLONING STRATEGIES.
THE COURSE AIMS TO DEVELOP THE STUDENT'S ABILITY TO APPLY ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE TO SOLVE NEW PROBLEMS AND SITUATIONS INDEPENDENTLY. THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO ANALYSE LITERATURE AND EVALUATE AND INTERPRET EXPERIMENTAL DATA.
THE STUDENT MUST BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THE NOTIONS LEARNED TO NON-EXPERTS. HE/SHE MUST BE ABLE TO PRESENT OR SUMMARISE BIBLIOGRAPHICAL DATA IN A COMPLETE, BUT CONCISE AND PRECISE MANNER USING THE CORRECT TECHNICAL LANGUAGE. THE STUDENT IS STIMULATED BOTH TO FAMILIARISE HIM/HERSELF WITH THE TERMS OF THE DISCIPLINE AND TO CONVEY THE PRINCIPLES, CONTENTS AND APPLICATION POSSIBILITIES TO NON-EXPERTS WITH CORRECTNESS AND SIMPLICITY.
THE STUDENT MUST BE ABLE TO UPDATE OR EXPAND THEIR KNOWLEDGE BY INDEPENDENTLY READ AND USE TEXTS, SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES IN THE FIELD. THEY WILLGRADUALLY ACQUIRE THE ABILITY TO ATTEND SPECIALISED SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES.
Prerequisites
GOOD BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF FORMAL GENETICS, MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, AND BIOCHEMISTRY IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Contents
DNA STRUCTURE AND REPLICATION. REPEATED SEQUENCES, KARYOTYPE ALTERATIONS. STRUCTURE, EVOLUTION AND ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX GENOMES. EVOLUTION OF GENE FAMILIES, PSEUDOGENES. TRANSPOSITION AND CONSEQUENCES IN EUKARYOTES AND PROKARYOTES. DYSGENESIS IN DROSOPHILA AND USE OF TRANSPOSONS TO IDENTIFY GENES AND GENE FUNCTIONS. (16 H)

RECOMBINATION AND MUTATION. DNA REPAIR MECHANISMS. INTER AND INTRAMOLECULAR REARRANGEMENTS (8 H).

REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION. EPIGENETICS, IMPRINTING. GENETIC CONTROL OF DEVELOPMENT IN DROSOPHILA AND EUKARYOTES (8 H).

GENOMIC ANALYSIS AND USE OF DATABASES. FUNCTIONAL AND POSITIONAL CLONING. DIRECT AND REVERSE GENETICS (20 H).
Teaching Methods
THE ADVANCED GENETICS COURSE CONSISTS OF LECTURES OF TWO HOURS EACH, TOTALLING 6 CFU. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE COURSE IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL SKILLS THROUGH THE STUDY OF THE STRUCTURE AND EVOLUTION OF GENOMES, THE REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN DNA SEQUENCING AND THE ANALYSIS OF GENOMIC DATA.
THE COURSE USES A COMBINATION OF TEACHING METHODS TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, INCLUDING LECTURES AND GROUP ACTIVITIES. DURING THE COURSE, STUDENTS WILL BE DIVIDED INTO STUDY 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.
DURING THE COURSE, WRITTEN AND/OR ORAL ASSESSMENTS MAY BE ADMINISTERED TO TEST THE STUDENT'S UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPTS PRESENTED DURING THE COURSE. THESE FACE-TO-FACE ACTIVITIES ARE COMBINED WITH INDIVIDUAL STUDIES. STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO DEDICATE TIME TO INDIVIDUAL STUDY 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 course learning assessment involves two distinct phases. The first in a written examination, followed by an oral discussion, during which the knowledge acquired during the course will be tested. The student's active participation in class and the papers from each group will be assessed to evaluate their learning and ability to analyse the topics covered critically. In particular, students' skills in analysing and interpreting the relevant scientific literature will be assessed, as well as their ability to apply genetic methodologies and models to analyse complex biological phenomena and identify gene interactions and regulatory hierarchies.
Texts
THE FOLLOWING REFERENCE TEXTS ARE RECOMMENDED FOR FURTHER STUDY OF THE COURSE CONTENT:
STRACHAN T, READ AP. HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS.
ADVANCED GENETIC ANALYSIS, PHILIPH MEENELY

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 E 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 PLACE 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
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