Learning objectives
The aim of the course is to teach the student the basic functions of nucleic acids <br />in eukaryotic organisms. Special attention will be given to the structure and the<br />functionalcharacteristics of chromatin in processes of transcription, replicationand repair of eukaryotic DNA. Regulation of the expression ofeukaryotic genomes will be the subject of in-depth analysis and willtake up a large part of the course. The course will conclude with thestudy of regulated splicing mechanisms in eukaryotes and will includeadvanced study of coordination in processes of gene expression.
Prerequisites
To pass the exam, it is essential to have a basic knowledge of Biochemistry and Molecular and Genetic Biology
Course unit content
<br />SINGLE GENOME SEQUENCES, REPEATED SEQUENCES AND INFORMATION CONTENT OFEUKARYOTIC GENOMES, ANALYSIS OF RENATURATION AND IDENTIFICATION OFGENOME COMPONENTS; GENE FRACTIONS EXPRESSED IN A SINGLE CELL TYPE.MOLECULAR ANATOMY OF A EUKARYOTIC GENE: CONSERVATION OF EXONS AND OFTHEIR STRUCTURAL ORGANISATION AND HIGH INTRONIC VARIABILTY; EVOLUTIONOF GENES AND POSSIBLE FUNCTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE. SINGLE-COPY STRUCTURALGENES AND MULTIGENIC FAMILIES: ORGANISATION OF GLOBIN GENES,REORGANISATION OF MULTIGENIC FAMILIES BY PROCESSES OF UNEQUALCROSSING-OVER; SEQUENCE DIVERGENCE AND MOLECULAR EVOLUTION;PSEUDOGENES; TANDEM REPETITION OF GENES FOR RRNA. HIGHLY REPEATEDSEQUENCES AND SATELLITE DNA: EVOLUTION OF SATELLITE DNA BY MEANS OFUNEQUAL CROSSING-OVER EVENTS; MINISATELLITES AND GENETIC MAPPING.RETROVIRUSES, RETROPOSONS AND INTERSPERSED REPEATED SEQUENCES:STRUCTURE, LIFE CYCLE AND MOBILISATION OF RETROVIRUSES; TY RETROVIRALELEMENTS OF S.CEREVISIAE YEAST; RETROPOSONS, SINES, LINES SEQUENCES ANDPROCESSED PSEUDOGENS. ORGANELLAR: GENOMES CIRCULAR DNA MOLECULES OFMITOCHONDRIAL AND CHLOROPLASTIC GENOMES. GENOME MAPPING. CHROMATIN,CHROMOSOMES AND GENE ACTIVATION: THE PROBLEM OF GENOMIC COMPACTION; THENUCLEOSOME AS A BASIC SUB-UNIT OF CHROMATIN; ORGANISATION AND ASSEMBLYOF THE HISTONIC OCTAMERe; NUCLEOSOME PHASING, HYPERSENSITIVE SITES;HIGHER ORDER CHROMATIN STRUCTURES; CENTROMERES, TELOMERES ANDCHROMOSOME STRUCTURE. EUKARYOTIC TRANSCRIPTION, EUKARYOTIC RNAPOLYMERASE; EUKARYOTIC PROMOTERS; TRANSCRIPTION APPARATUS DEPENDENT ONRNA POLYMERASE I AND II; BASIC RNA POLYMERASE II DEPENDENTTRANSCRIPTION APPARATUS; CONTROL MECHANISMS FOR EUKAROTE TRANSCRIPTION;CIS-REGULATION SEQUENCES AND TRANS-FACTORS; LINK TO DNA ANDTRANSCRIPTION ACTIVATION; THE VARIOUS PROTEIC STRUCTURAL MOTIVESINVOLVED IN THE DNA LINK IN TRANSCRIPTION ACTIVATION; STRUCTURAL ANDFUNCTIONAL ORGANISATION OF EUCHROMATIN AND HETEROCHROMATIN; REGULATIONMECHANISMS FOR TRANSCRIPTION BY MEANS OF `ENHANCERS`, `SILENCERS`,`INSULATORS`; CHROMATIN MODIFIERS; GENOMIC IMPRINTING. RNA MATURING;REGULATION OF RNA PROCESSING MECHANISMS. ALTERNATIVE SPLICING; EDITINGOF PRIMARY TRANSCRIPTS. SMALL RNA SIRNAI, MIRNA. '' <br />
Full programme
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Bibliography
WEAVER RB. - BIOLOGIA MOLECOLARE, Ed. McGraw-Hill<br />WATSON D. et al. - BIOLOGIA MOLECOLARE DEL GENE, fifth edition, Ed. Zanichelli<br />LEWIN B. - GENES VII o VIII, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000-2004.<br />LODISH H. et al. - MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY, third or fourth edition, ed. Sci. American Books, 2000.<br />PTASHNE M. and GANN A: - Geni e Segnali, ed. Zanichelli
Teaching methods
The course comprises classroom lessons with a frequency of three two-hour lessons per<br />week.Assessment will be based on a written test, to be taken in a maximumtime of two hours, comprising ten questions designed to evaluate thedegree of learning and critical analysis of the subjects treated.
Assessment methods and criteria
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Other information
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