Enrollment year
2018/2019
Academic discipline
BIO/18 (GENETICS)
Department
DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Curriculum
PERCORSO COMUNE
Period
1st semester (01/10/2018 - 18/01/2019)
Lesson hours
60 lesson hours
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Learning outcomes
The aim of this course is to provide knowledge concerning the genetic aspects, the molecular techniques and the statistical approaches that are employed in studies of animal and plant conservation.
Course contents
Part 1 (Prof. A. Torroni). Gene pool and genetic diversity: how they change in time and space. The Hardy-Weinberg Law and its applications. Genetic structure of natural populations: role of mutation, fragmentation, genetic drift, migration, assortative mating and natural selection. Proportion of polymorphic loci. Allelic diversity. Measures of heterozigosity. Mutation-selection balance. Mutational load. The meaning of "dominant" and "recessive" traits. Measures of genetic diversity at different resolution levels and by using different molecular techniques (protein electrophoresis, analysis of genes/nuclear sequences, restriction fragment length polymorphisms, PCR, microsatellites, DNA sequencing, RAPDs and AFLPs). Analysis of ancient DNA: some paradigmatic cases. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and its peculiarities. The non-recombinant portion of the Y chromosome. Advantages and disadvantages of uniparental genetic systems. DNA barcoding. The phylogeographic approach applied to endangered species: recent studies from the international literature. Genetic consequences of domestication.
Part 2 (Prof. A. Olivieri). Laboratory activity: DNA extraction, PCR amplification of DNA, sequencing of the mtDNA control region, molecular identification of sex, RFLP analysis of mtDNA and Y-chromosome sequences, classification of sequences and haplotypes into haplogroups, integration of haplotypes into a phylogenetic tree.
Teaching methods
Part 1 of the course consists of lectures, while Part 2 consists of experimental activities in a dedicated laboratory.
Reccomended or required readings
The text book suggested for both parts of the Course is "Fondamenti di Genetica della Conservazione" by R. Frankham, J.D. Ballou, D.A. Briscoe, Zanichelli – Bologna.
Some parts of the program (basic knowledge of population genetics, molecular analyses) are described in greater detail in the text books used for the course of General Genetics (laurea triennale), for instance: iGENETICA or iGENETICA FONDAMENTI by Peter J. Russell, EdiSES s.r.l. – Napoli.
Some of the topics discussed in the lectures (consequences of domestication, DNA barcoding, etc.) are not present in the text books mentioned above. For these it is strongly suggested to search for and acquire additional material online.
Assessment methods
There will be a single final exam for both parts of the course (no intermediate exams).
The exam consists of:
a) a power point presentation (20-25 minutes) of two or more articles from the international literature, reporting analyses of genetic variation in animal or plant species. The topic of the presentation is chosen by the candidate;
b) an oral exam on the topics of the program and the laboratory activities.
Further information
The course program is available online at http://genmic.unipv.eu/site/home/didattica.html
following the link "Courses".
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