15950 - Biology and Genetics (LZ-B)

Course contents

Gene and Genome
00. introduction to genetics. History of Genetics.
01. Molecular structure of DNA and genetic information.
02. Gene: concept, structure and function. Evolution of trhe concept of "gene" and "code". Alternative ways of gene functioning.
03. Genome.
04. Gene families.
05. Tandem repeats.
06. Dispersed repeats (LINE, SINE, LTR and DNA transposons).

Laws of Heredity
07. Human karyotype.
08. The experiments of Mendel. Dominance, recessivity, homozygosis and heterozygosis.
09. Autosomic dominant inheritance.
10. Autosomic recessive inheritance.
11. Codominance. ABO system. Substance H and Bombay phenotype.
12. Rh system. Maternal-fetal incompatibility for the Rh blood group.
13. Genetic determination of sex. X and Y chromosomes.
14. Sex-linked inheritance. X-chromosome inactivation.

15. Linkage and crossing-over.
16. Mitochondrial inheritance.
17. Epigenetics.

Genetic variability
18. Mutation.
19. Effects of gene mutation.
20. Chromosome structure mutations.
21. Translocations.
22. Genomic mutations. Trisomy 21.

Multifactorial inheritance
23. Multifactorial inheritance.
24. Multifactorial traits.

Population Genetics
25. Law of Hardy-Weinberg.
26. Forces affecting the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

Readings/Bibliography

Text in preparation.

Assessment methods

Oral exam.

Teaching tools

http://apollo11.isto.unibo.it/appunti.htm

Office hours

See the website of Pierluigi Strippoli