Genetic Analysis of Biodiversity
Academic Year 2022/2023 - Teacher: Giancarlo RAPPAZZOExpected Learning Outcomes
1. The neutralism as a basis for the interpretation of genetic variability;
2. The study and analysis of mutations as a measure of variability;
3. Acquisition of the main molecular techniques and experimental approaches suitable for measuring genetic biodiversity.
Course Structure
Frontal teaching in accordance with the regulations of the Degree Course.
Presentation of the topics starting from the known or most relevant experimental data.
Required Prerequisites
Mendelism; taxonomy; phylogeny; elements of physiology, chemistry and biochemistry.
Attendance of Lessons
In accordance with the regulations of the Degree Course
Detailed Course Content
The mutations; DNA polymorphisms; the measure of heterozygosity; analysis of the association; genetic maps and physical maps. Applications of polymorphisms to genetic analysis. Main sequence databases and bioinformatic methods of consultation and analysis. Homeotic genes and the hierarchical control of development; genomic imprinting in development. The molecular clock. Classification of the loci of interest: slow evolving and fast evolving loci. Evolutionary models: bioinformatics applications. BarCoding and its applications in the analysis of biodiversity.
Textbook Information
John Maynard Smith, Evolutionary Genetics, Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, ISBN-10: 0198502311
| Author | Title | Publisher | Year | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Maynard Smith | Evolutionary Genetics | Oxford University Press | 2nd edition | ISBN-10: 0198502311 |
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DNA as a genetic material. Chemical and information stability. Working with DNA in the laboratory. Useful enzymes and electrophoretic techniques. | slides |
| 2 | Mutations: concept, frequency, biological and evolutionary relevance. How mutations spread: selection, genetic drift, gene flow. | slides and scientific papers |
| 3 | Point mutations or SNPs: molecular detection methods. PCR and sequencing; PCR-RFLP; Aso; Snapshot; NGS. | slides |
| 4 | Association between loci on the chromosome. Polymorphisms as genetic markers; the construction of genetic maps and physical maps (hints). | slides |
| 5 | Polymorphisms, aplotypes, linkage balances and linkage argumentibrium. The chromosome as patchwork. Reconstruction of human evolution from genetic data. | slides |
| 6 | The databases of biomolecular sequences. Bioinformatic methods of consultation of databases: blast queries. The alignment between two or more sequences and related evaluations: useful indices. | slides |
| 7 | Neutralist theory and the molecular clock. Slow evolving loci and fast evolving loci in evolutionary analysis. | slides and scientific papers |
| 8 | Phylogenetic reconstruction: multiple alignment, genetic distance matrix, algorithms related to distinct evolutionary models (NJ, UPGMA, ME, parsimony). Practical examples. | slides and scientific papers |
| 9 | BarCoding and biodiversity analysis: the most common loci and their applications in biological problems. | slides and scientific papers |
| 10 | A source of unexpected variability: genomic imprinting in development and differentiation. | slides and scientific papers |
| 11 | Differences between animals and plants from the point of view of genetics | slides and scientific papers |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Final oral exam consisting in the discussion of two scientific articles chosen by the candidate
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
Evaluation of correspondence between material and methods and results
Discussion of the results
Data analysis