Biology 425

Biology 425

Molecular Genetics

Learning Goal 1: Understand the organization, replication, and maintenance of genetic material

Students will develop an understanding of how DNA is organized into genomes and chromosomes and how genetic information is accurately replicated, maintained, and repaired.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

·   Describe the structural features of DNA and explain how DNA structure contributes to its biological functions.

·   Explain how DNA is packaged and organized into chromosomes and how chromatin structure influences DNA accessibility.

·   Explain the molecular mechanisms of DNA replication and how they contribute to accurate genome duplication.

·   Compare major mechanisms of DNA damage repair and homologous recombination and predict when different repair pathways are likely to be used.

·   Predict the consequences of disruptions in chromosome structure, DNA replication, or DNA repair for genome stability and cellular function.

Learning Goal 2: Understand the molecular mechanisms that control gene expression

Students will understand how genetic information is expressed and how gene expression can be regulated at multiple levels.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

·   Explain the molecular mechanisms of transcription, RNA processing, and translation.

·   Explain how regulatory DNA sequences, transcription factors, and chromatin structure influence transcription.

·   Describe and compare mechanisms that regulate RNA processing, RNA stability, and translation.

·   Explain how regulatory RNAs influence gene expression.

·   Predict how altering a component of a gene-expression pathway will affect RNA production, protein production, or cellular phenotype.

Learning Goal 3: Connect changes in DNA to molecular and phenotypic consequences

Students will understand how mutations arise and use their knowledge of molecular genetics to predict how genetic changes can affect gene expression, protein function, and phenotype.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

·   Distinguish among major types of mutations and explain mechanisms by which they arise.

·   Predict how mutations in coding sequences can affect RNA and protein structure or function.

·   Predict how mutations in promoters, enhancers, splice sites, untranslated regions, and other regulatory sequences can alter gene expression.

·   Trace the consequences of a genetic change from DNA through RNA and protein to cellular or organismal phenotype.

·   Use molecular evidence to develop and evaluate hypotheses about the genetic basis of an observed phenotype.

Learning Goal 4: Apply molecular genetics concepts and experimental approaches to solve biological problems

Students will develop the ability to think like molecular geneticists by using experimental evidence to investigate biological questions.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

·   Interpret common forms of molecular genetics data, including gels, sequencing data, gene-expression data, and protein analyses.

·   Select appropriate molecular or genomic techniques to address specific biological questions.

·   Design experiments that include appropriate experimental groups, controls, and measurable outcomes.

·   Predict experimental results under competing hypotheses and use those results to distinguish among possible molecular mechanisms.

·   Integrate results from multiple experiments to construct, evaluate, and revise models of molecular mechanisms.

Learning Goal 5: Read, interpret, and critically evaluate primary research in molecular genetics

Students will become familiar with the organization and conventions of primary research papers and develop increasing independence in interpreting molecular genetics research.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

·   Identify the central research question, hypothesis, and major conclusions of a primary research paper.

·   Explain how individual experiments and figures address the research question and contribute to the authors' conclusions.

·   Interpret data presented in primary research figures without relying solely on the authors' interpretation.

·   Evaluate whether experimental evidence supports a stated conclusion and identify important controls, limitations, or alternative explanations.

·   Use evidence from a research paper to propose a logical next question, hypothesis, or experiment.