A hands-on introduction to the key concepts of genetics and advances in modern genetic technologies. Learn about fundamental principles of genetics underpinning biologically inherited traits, from classical population genetics to modern molecular genetics. Investigate modern genetic technologies for sampling, analysing, and editing genes and experience gene manipulation in the laboratory using CRISPR/Cas9 technology in cultured cells. Discuss the various advantages, drawbacks, and ethics of particular gene-editing technologies.
1. Mendel’s principles of heredity and extensions to Mendel’s laws
2. The chromosome theory of inheritance
3. Linkage, recombination, and the mapping of genes on chromosomes
4. DNA structure, replication, and recombination
5. Anatomy and function of a gene: Dissection through mutation
6. Gene expression and analysis of genetic information
7. Chromosomal rearrangements and changes in chromosome number
8. Bacterial genetics and organellar inheritance
9. Gene regulation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes
10. Manipulating the genomes of eukaryotes
11. The genetic analysis of development and cancer
12. Variation and selection in populations
13. The genetics of complex traits
14. Discussion: Future improvements and ethical issues of genetic technologies
15. Exercise: Genome editing of cultured human cells
Participation 20%, Examination 40%, and Presentation 40%
Genetics, From Genes to Genomes, Sixth edition, by Hartwell et al (2018), McGraHill Education
Essential Genetics and Genomics, Seventh edition, by Daniel L. Hartl (2020), Jones & Bartlett learning.