Genetics

GEN 600 - Field Experience
Credits: 1.00 to 4.00
A supervised experience providing the opportunity to apply academic experience in settings associated with future professional employment and/or related graduate opportunities. Must be approved by a faculty advisor selected by the student. Prereq: permission. Cr/F.

GEN 704 - Genetics of Prokaryotic Microbes
Credits: 5.00
Expression and transfer of genetic elements (chromosomal and non-chromosomal) in prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms; consideration of factors influencing public health, industry, the environment, and society. Students earning credit for PBIO 754/854; BCHM 854/854; GEN 754/854 may not receive credit for MICR 704/804. Prereq: general microbiology; biochemistry (Also offered as MICR 704.) Lab. Special fee.

GEN 705 - Population Genetics
Credits: 4.00
An exploration of the forces affecting the frequency and distribution of allelic variation in natural populations. The relative role of mutation, selection, random drift and inbreeding and structuring genetic variation. Quantification of the genetic structure of populations. Prereq: BIOL 604; BIOL 528 recommended. Lab. (Not offered every year.)

GEN 706 - Human Genetics
Credits: 3.00
The genetic basis of human traits and diseases. New understanding added by molecular genetic approaches. Human genome project, gene therapy. Discussion of genetic components of quantitative and behavioral traits in human evolution. (Not offered every year.) Prereq: GEN 604 or ANSC 612.

GEN 711 - Genomics and Bioinformatics
Credits: 4.00
The methods, applications, and implications of genomics--the analysis of whole genomes. Microbial, plant and animal genomics are addressed, as well as medical, ethical and legal implications. The lab provides exposure and experience on a range of bioinformatics approaches--the computer applications used in genome analysis. Prereq: BIOL 604. Lab. (Also listed as BCHM 711.)

GEN 712 - Introduction to Perl programming for Bioinformatics
Credits: 4.00
This first course in Perl programming is designed to enable undergraduate and graduate students in the life sciences to solve fundamental biological questions of simple to moderate complexity that require the use of computers to automate repetitive, exhaustive tasks and handle query results efficiently including: computing values of important parameters of biological sequence data, writing pattern search and motif discovery scripts, accessing, querying, manipulating, retrieving, parsing, analyzing and saving data from local and remote databases. Prereq: BIOL 604 or permission.

GEN 713 - Microbial Ecology and Evolution
Credits: 4.00
Functional roles of microorganisms, their population dynamics and interactions, and their mechanisms of evolutionary change in natural communities, laboratory experiments, and simple mathematical models. Special emphasis on the tempo and mode of prokaryotic adaptation, the evolution of virulence, and the origin of new pathogens. Prereq: MICR 503. (Also listed as MICR 713.) Special fee.

GEN 715 - Molecular Evolution
Credits: 4.00
Rates and patterns of evolutionary change in biomolecules. Forces affecting the size and structure of genomes. Molecular mechanisms of organismal evolution. Emphasizes integrating evidence from biochemistry, molecular genetics and organismal studies. Methods for reconstructing phylogeny from molecular sequences. Prereq: BIOL 604. Some knowledge of statistics is recommended. Special fee. Lab. (Not offered every year.)

GEN #723 - Quantitative Genetics
Credits: 4.00
Analysis of continuous variation in populations simultaneously segregating at multiple loci. Genetic and non-genetic factors and the complex interactions between them. Models and methods of analysis, for both theoretical and practical applications. Prereq: BIOL 604; BIOL 528 strongly suggested. Special fee. Lab. (Not offered every year.)

GEN 753 - Cytogenetics
Credits: 4.00
Chromosome structure, function, and evolution. Eukaryotic genome organization. Theory of, and laboratory techniques for, cytogenetic analysis in plants and animals. Prereq: BIOL 604. Special fee. Lab. (Also offered as PBIO 753. Not offered every year.)

GEN 754 - Laboratory in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Nucleic Acids
Credits: 5.00
Application of modern techniques to the analysis of biomolecules, with an emphasis on nucleic acids; includes DNA isolation and analysis, cloning, sequencing, and analysis of gene products. Prereq: BCHM 658/659; 751, or permission. (Also offered as BCHM 754 and PBIO 754.) Special fee. Writing intensive.

GEN 771 - Molecular Genetics
Credits: 4.00
Structure, organization, replication, dynamics, and expression of genetic information in eukaryotes. Focus on molecular genetic mechanisms of gene expression and its control; molecular genetics methods; molecular genetic control of cell division and differentiation during development. Prereq: BCHM 658 or 751; BIOL 604;/ or permission. (Also offered as BCHM 771.)

GEN 772 - Evolutionary Genetics of Plants
Credits: 4.00
Mechanisms of genetic change in plant evolution, domestication, breeding, and genetic engineering. Topics include Darwinian theory; speciation and hybridization; origins and co-evolution of nuclear and organelle genomes; gene and genome evolution; transposable elements, chromosome rearrangements, polypliody. Lab: DNA techniques, sequence analysis programs, phylgenetic trees. Special fee. Prereq: BIOL 604 or equivalent; PBIO 412 or BIOL 411/412 or equivalent. (Also offered as PBIO 772.) (Not offered every year.)

GEN 774 - Plant Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering
Credits: 3.00
Plant transformation and regeneration, gene isolation and identification, structure and regulation of plant genes, current applications of plant genetic engineering, environmental and social implications. Prereq: BIOL 604 or permission. (Also offered as PBIO 774.) (Not offered every year.)

GEN 775 - Plant Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Lab
Credits: 2.00
Techniques for genetic transformation and selection of plants, analysis of foreign gene expression, and plant cell and tissue culture. Coreq: PBIO or GEN 774. (Also offered as PBIO 775.) Special fee. (Not offered every year.)
Co-requisites: GEN 774

GEN 795 - Investigations
Credits: 1.00 to 4.00
Independent study/research in various areas of genetics. A) Transmission Genetics, B) Molecular Genetics, C) Population and Quantitative Genetics. Prereq: permission. May be repeated to a maximum of 4 credits.

GEN 795W - Investigations
Credits: 1.00 to 4.00
See description for GEN 795. Writing intensive.

GEN 799 - Honors Senior Thesis
Credits: 1.00 to 4.00