Genetics

Syllabus

Genetic information: structure and function of DNA and RNA, gene structure and expression, chromosomes Variability: mutation types and mechanisms of origin, mutagens, DNA reparation Proteins: protein function, allele, homozygote, heterozygote, dominance, recessivity, pleiotropy, penetrance, expressivity Mitosis, meiosis, and cell cycle: cell cycle phases, phases and function of mitosis and meiosis, plant and animal gametogenesis, independent assortment, crossing-over, nondisjunction Genetic analysis: Mendel's work discovery of segregation and combination, Punnett square, branch diagrams, X2 test, pedigrees, allelism test Gene interactions: reciprocal interaction, recessive and dominant epistasis, inhibition, complementarity, compensation, cumulative and non-cumulative duplicity Genetics of quantitative traits: genetic vs. environmental component, variance, heritability, selection response, QWAS, SNP, hybrid vigor Genetic linkage: recombination frequency, map unit, physical vs. genetic map, complete linkage, interference, gene conversion Genetics of sex: environmental vs. genetic sex determination, sex chromosomes, evolution of sex chromosomes, inheritance of Y-haplotypes, SRY, Y- and X-linked traits, sex-influenced and sex-limited traits, dosage compensation, haplodiploidy Genetics of populations: calculation of allelic and genome frequencies, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, inbreeding, bottleneck effect, founder effect, selection types, genetic drift, effective population size, dynamic equilibrium Evolution of the genome: C-value paradox, genome structure, mobile elements (types and role in evolution), hybrid dysgenesis, structural and numeric chromosome aberrations and their role in human health, evolution and agriculture, ectopic recombination, gene families, horizontal gene transfer, genome modifications Epigenetics: euchromatin, heterochromatin, histones, histone modifications, DNA methylation, non-coding RNA, genomic imprinting, kinship theory, paramutations Genetics of organelles, bacteria, and viruses: cytoplasmatic inheritance, mitochondrial genome, hereditary diseases of mtDNA, mitochondrial Eve, genetic barcoding, chloroplast DNA, size and organization of bacterial genome, regulation of gene expression, operons, plasmids, conjugation, transformation, bacteriophage genetics

Annotation

Genetics as a science dealing with the heredity and variability of organisms has become an indispensable component of almost all research in biology and medicine. This prominent position has been achieved through the powerful merger of classical and molecular approaches.

The goal of the course is to provide students with an explanation of the basic genetic principles. The course should give all participants a rudimentary knowledge in both classical and molecular genetics as well as to convince them that for modern biological research an understanding of genetics is essential.