BIO 421 – Advanced Genetics
Fall 2009
Course Syllabus
Instructor: Dr. Craig W.
LaMunyon
Lectures: Mon/Weds 2:00 – 3:50 pm, Bldg. 1, rm
109
Office: Bldg.
4, rm. 426
Phone: (909)
869-2273
Email: cwlamunyon@csupomona.edu
Office
Hours: Mon/Weds
12:00 - 1:30 pm or by appointment
Web
site: http://www.csupomona.edu/~cwlamunyon/BIO421/BIO421syl.htm
Text: Genetics:
Analysis and Principles by Brooker, 3rd Edition, McGraw Hill 2009
Course
Description:
Modern
Genetics resides at the intersection of a number of disciplines, including
molecular and cell biology, genomics and proteomics, developmental biology,
evolutionary biology, agriculture, and medicine. Whereas classical geneticists were consumed with the
construction of linkage maps to understand the transmission of traits across
generations, todayÕs geneticists are identifying the DNA sequence of those
mutated genes, studying the functions of the encoded proteins, determining sets
of genes that interact on a molecular basis, and dozens of other fascinating
aspects of modern genetics.
Indeed, genetics today is really a tool - or set of tools - used in many
areas of biology. The problem with
genetics as it relates to a course is that it is just too huge to fully cover
in one term, especially a quarter!
I am truly sorry that we will only touch on several topics and leave
others untouched. However, with
the preparation that you have received in BIO303 and BIO310, we should be able
to make some real headway.
Therefore, I will assume that you already know the following topics:
Mitosis and Meiosis, Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance, recombination,
DNA structure and replication, gene expression and its control, and mutation.
Use of the textbook
in this course. While I cannot possibly cover
everything in the textbook, you should nonetheless read and attempt to
understand all the material in the readings. They will provide you with the background necessary to
understand the lectures. Please
read the chapters before coming to class; it will make you an informed student,
and you will be more likely to excel.
The text is not designed for an advanced course. In fact, I am using the text most
instructors use in BIO303 - to
save you the cost of purchasing another text (if you didnÕt already sell it
back to the bookstore!). While
genetics may not be the most readable material, this textbook is one of the
most readable in its field. There
may be readings added to what I assign from the textbook.
In
this course, I anticipate that you will learn the following:
1. Gene
mapping using classical and modern molecular techniques
2. Quantitative
trait analysis and mapping
3. Mutation
analysis
4. Reverse
genetics
5. Cytoplasmic
inheritance
6. Bacterial
genetics and gene mapping
7. Genomics
and Proteomics
8. Population
genetics
9. Evolutionary
genetics
To
further your learning experience in this course, I encourage you to interrupt
me with questions - either if you cannot follow my arguments or if you want to
challenge them (science requires alternative opinions/hypotheses!).
BIO303 (Genetics)
The lecture
schedule will be posted on the course website. It will be updated for each lecture, and you will find
outlines there for each lecture. Also,
I will post images from my PowerPoint presentations on the website
There will be three
exams in this course: 2 midterms and a final that is not comprehensive. Each exam covers approximately 5
lectures. The exams are of equal
value: 100 points each. The exams
will have both multiple choice and written questions. Please bring a ScanTron form 882. In addition, there will be 20 pts of extra credit given out
over the quarter. This may be in
the form of quizzes and/or problem sets.
Your grade will be based on 300 points, even though 320 points are
possible over the quarter.
There will be no
make-up exams.
Arrangements can be made in extreme cases, but you must alert me before
the exam.
CSU Employee Furloughs – Impact on Classes
This year across this
campus and around the CSU system some class days will be cancelled because of
furloughs. A furlough is mandatory un-paid time off; faculty and staff on each
CSU campus are being ÒfurloughedÓ two days per month.
These cancelled class
days are marked on your syllabus below. It is important to recognize that these
days off are not
holidays. Instead, they are concrete examples of how massive state budget
cuts have consequences for you as students and for me as a faculty member.
The CSU has suffered
chronic underfunding for at least 10 years. This year the budget cuts are the
worst in the history of our university system — $584 million or 20% of
our budget. The CSU administration
is attempting to deal with these cuts with huge increases in your student fees
(32%), eliminations of your classes, and lay-offs of faculty and other
university employees. In addition
to paying higher fees, you will be affected by reduced services and classes.
The library will have shorter hours. Many campus support services will be
decreased or eliminated. It will be more difficult to get signatures to meet
deadlines. Classes you need may have been cut from the class schedule or are
full.
Tentative
Lecture Schedule
Because this is the
first time this course has been offered in a 4 unit format, the lecture
schedule is highly tentative. Please refer to the schedule online for the
future. It will give you the
up-to-date topics and readings as they will surely change.
|
Lecture |
Date |
Topic |
Chapter |
|
1 |
Sept
28 |
Course
Introduction; review of Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics |
1,
4 |
|
2 |
Sept
30 |
1,
4 |
|
|
3 |
Oct
5 |
Discovering
genes by Mutational analysis (Please use the outline from the last lecture)
|
5 |
|
4 |
Oct
7 |
5 |
|
|
|
Oct
12 |
Furlough
Break: For
those of you who would like to look a first-hand description of mutagenesis,
read the paper by Brenner
from 1974. It is the first paper
to address C.
elegans genetics. There is a
section on isolation of mutants (p 74-75), but you may find that you want to
read on! You
can find a short discussion of suppression analysis on pages 92-93 in your
textbook. Finally,
I have scanned the overheads from lectures 3 and 4: Remember
that the overheads wonÕt make a lot of sense without your notes (and
memories!) from lecture. |
|
|
Please
note: There is now a copy of the
text on reserve in the library |
|||
|
5 |
Oct
14 |
Finish
Genetic Mapping Problem
set answers due! Answers for
the Problem Set Practice
Questions for the exam Update on 10/18: Answers
for the practice questions |
|
|
|
Oct
19 |
Exam
1 - Bring a Scantron form 882 Answers
for the written section |
|
|
6 |
Oct
21 |
|
|
|
7 |
Oct
26 |
Today
we finished SNP use in mapping The
SNP gel is the last slide from lecture 6 OK,
so here is another Problem
Set worth 2 extra credit
points. It deals with SNP mapping. It is due Nov. 2. |
|
|
8 |
Oct
28 |
|
|
|
9 |
Nov
2 |
DNA
sequencing and the Human Genome Problem
Set 2 due Answers
to
Problem Set 2 |
503-507 |
|
10 |
Nov
4 |
Epigenetics
and Cytoplasmic Inheritance
|
7 |
|
|
Nov
9 |
Furlough
Break: TBA
|
|
|
|
Nov
11 |
Holiday:
Veterans Day |
|
|
|
Nov
16 |
Exam
2 - Bring a Scantron form 882 Practice
Questions for the exam |
|
|
11 |
Nov
18 |
Ch
7, p 174-182 Ch
6, section 6.1 |
|
|
12 |
Nov
23 |
Finish Bacterial Genetics, begin Quantitative
Genetics |
25 |
|
13 |
Nov
25 |
Finish
quantitative genetics |
25 |
|
14 |
Dec
30 |
Population
genetics |
24 |
|
15 |
Dec
2 |
Evolutionary
Genetics |
26 |
|
|
Dec
7 |
Final
Exam 1:40 – 3:40 pm – Bring a Scantron form 882 |
|