652-204 Principles of Genetics

Note:

• Special requirements: Laboratory coat. Students must call into the Mendel Laboratory (Ground Floor, Genetics Department) during the second week of February to be assigned to a laboratory group.

• Credit cannot be granted for both 652-204 and 652-214, 652-201 or 652-202.

Credit Points:

Coordinator:

Prerequisite/s:

Timetable:

Contact:

Objectives:

This subject can be taken by itself but is designed to be the first of a two semester sequence with 652-205. By the end of the subject students should:

Comprehend:

• the inheritance of genes in organisms ranging from viruses and bacteria to humans;

• genotype, gene interactions and phenotype;

• the DNA molecule and inheritance;

• gene structure and expression;

• the molecular basis of genetic variation;

• the factors which modulate allele frequencies, temporally and spatially, in natural populations.

Develop:

• a basic knowledge of genetic principles;

• the skills to solve genetic problems;

• competence in the experimental methods used in genetics;

• experience in writing scientific reports;

• the ability to analyse data generated from their own experiments.

Appreciate:

• the experiments used to establish the fundamental principles of genetics;

• the ways in which a genetic approach can contribute to biological knowledge.

Content:

Genetic and molecular basis of phenotypic variation. Genetic analysis in eukaryotes, viruses and bacteria. Nature of the genetic material. Gene structure and function. Quantitative inheritance. Behaviour of genes in populations. Techniques used in genetic analysis of microorganisms and eukaryotes.

Assessment:

Prescribed Texts:

• Griffiths AJF, Miller JH, Gelbart WM, Lewontin RC, Suzuki DT, An Introduction to Genetic Analysis, 6th ed.