Genetics 632, Course Syllabus
Drs. Baldwin, Strahl and Marzluff
Spring, 2014
MWF 9-10 A.M. 128 Wilson Hall
January 8
Introduction and Historical Perspectives on Regulation of Gene Expression (Baldwin)
January 10
Lac Operon, Sigma Factor, and Introduction to promoters (Baldwin)
January 13
cAMP and CAP, Lac Operon Revisited. Introduction to Phage Lambda (Baldwin)
January 15
Phage Lambda Gene Regulation, Trp Operon/Attenuation, and Bacterial Enhancers
(Baldwin)
January 17
Basic Eukaryotic Gene Transcription (Strahl)
January 20
Martin Luther King Memorial Day
January 22
Role of the C-terminal Domain of RNA pol II; Elongation cycle (Strahl)
January 24
Enhancers, locus control regions, silencing elements, insulators and gene organization.
Introduction to transcription factor structure/function (Baldwin)
MINI EXAM (covering the first six lectures)
January 27
Transcription factors and genomic imprinting (Baldwin)
January 29
DNA Methylation and Genomic Silencing (Strahl)
January 31
DNA de-methylation and breaking the Dogma of DNA Methylation Silencing (Strahl)
February 3
Chromatin and Associated Mechanisms of Transcription (Strahl)
February 5
Introduction to Histone Modifications: Acetylation as a Paradigm (Strahl)
February 7
Role of Histone Methylation in Heterochromatin Formation and Gene Expression (Strahl)
February 10
Histone Methylation in Transcription Elongation (Strahl)
February 12
ATP-Dependent Chromatin Remodeling (Strahl)
February 14
Histone Code Hypothesis and Mechanisms of Chromatin Engagement (Strahl)
February 17
Cross-talk and Novel histone PTMs (Strahl)
February 19
Variant Histones and Chaperones in Chromatin Function (Strahl)
February 21
Post-Translational Modifications in Gene Regulation: Beyond the Histones (Strahl)
1
February 24
Inducible transcription factors II: STATs, SMADs, and p53 (Baldwin)
February 26
p53 (Baldwin)
February 28
Transcription and cancer (Baldwin)
March 3
More cancer mechanisms and HIV Transcription (Baldwin)
March 5
Nuclear hormone receptors I (Baldwin)
March 7
Nuclear hormone receptors II (Baldwin)
(MIDTERM EXAM given out March 7)
SPRING BREAK MARCH 8-16
March 17-April 25 (RNA Metabolism and posttranscriptional regulation (Marzluff)
Mar. 17
RIBOZYMES: tRNA processing: RNase P: an RNA enzyme
Mar. 19
rRNA processing: role of snoRNAs in methylation of rRNA
Mar. 21
Capping and Polyadenylation
Mar. 24
Gene organization: hnRNPs and snRNPs: splicing
SECTION MEETING 1 ENZYMES IN rRNA PROCESSING
Mar. 26
Exon definition: coupling of splicing and polyadenylation
Mar. 28
Alternative splicing I: Drosophila sex determination
Mar. 31
Alternative splicing II: coupling splicing and transcription
SECTION MEETING 2: ALTERNATIVE SPLICING AND DISEASE: SMA and SMN
Apr. 2
Histone mRNA processing and regulation
Apr. 4.
Regulation of transcription elongation: P-TEFb and HIV-Tat
Apr. 7
Translation regulation: cytoplasmic polyadenylation
SECTION MEETING 3: TRANSLATIONAL REGULATION IN XENOPUS DEVELOPMENT
Apr. 9
Mechanism of mRNA Degradation
Apr. 11
Exon junction complexes and Nonsense Medicated Decay
2
Apr. 14
siRNAs: structure/function of “Slicer”
SECTION MEETING 4: Student talks: Alternative splicing regulation of neural development
Apr. 16
Mechanism of Micro RNA function
Apr. 18
Regulation of development by miRNAs
Apr. 21
PAR-CLIP: Identification of RNP binding sites
SECTION MEETING 5 miRNA regulation of development
Apr. 23
LncRNAs: role in regulating mRNA degradation
Apr. 25
CrispR RNAs: technology for regulation by RNAs
FINAL EXAM
3