Content of lectures 1) The paradigm of model organisms (forward and reverse genetics, mutagenesis, genome sequencing, transgenes, inbred lines, epistasis analysis, allelic variation, gene testing). 2) Introduction to human genetics (pedigree analysis of inheritance of dominant and recessive genes, linkage analysis, linkage disequilibrium and LOD score, human sequencing project). 3) Mendelian diseases (instructive examples of specific disorders to illustrate genome wide scans, haplotypes, homozygosity mapping, strategies for positional cloning, prenatal diagnostics). 4) Current human genetic research topics (complex disease loci, HapMap project, SNP mapping, stem cells, gene therapy). 5) Yeast and its contribution to the understanding of eukaryotic biology. Molecular analysis of the cell cycle. 6) Cancer genetics (evolution of cancer, oncogenes, tumor suppressors and DNA repair genes, mutation/rearrangement detection systems, loss of heterozygosity, epigenetic silencing, translocations, genomic instability and cancer, cancer stem cells). 7) Murine genetics (transgenics, knockouts, conditionals, ENU and insertional mutagenesis screens, identifying modifier genes, haplotype-based genetic analysis, mouse strains, congenics, recombinant inbreds, advanced intercrosses, quantitative trait loci mapping). 8) Genetics of Drosophila (chromosomal rearrangements, saturation mutagenesis, the logic of genetic screenings, genetic dissection of early development, developmental genetics, behavioural mutants, elucidation of gene regulatory networks). 9) Optinal lecture (choice from 3 topics: "C. elegans", "microarrays" or "GFP as a universal marker"). Content of practicals a) Preparation of presentation with topic coming out from one of the lectures and with using scientific paper in outstanding impacted journal. b) Poster preparation with topic coming out from one of the lectures and with using scientific paper in outstanding impacted journal.
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Many of the discoveries of recent years have had surprising implications for medical research and human health. These contributions are both in the form of completely new logical approaches to research and in the details of individual processes in the development of the organism or the pathology of disease. For example, who would have dared to suggest a decade ago that by studying the embryonic development of flies and nematodes we would learn something about the major molecular mechanisms of aging, dementia, or immune responses? In the Molecular Genetics of Model Organisms course, we will examine individual models, their methodological strengths, and the role they play in solving specific biological problems. The course includes a modern look at the possibilities of medical research in humans, including advances in cancer research, inherited diseases, stem cells, and gene therapy.
The course provides important background information for conducting advanced basic research.
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