This resource is intended for an introductory or intermediate-level college genetics course. It begins with an exploration of DNA and genome structure and continues with a study of the molecular mechanisms that drive gene expression. Concepts of classical transmission genetics are linked to the molecular mechanisms that underlie observable phenotypes. It concludes with specific topics that synthesize information from both molecular and transmission genetics, including consideration of topics like epigenetics, cancer biology, and evolution. Examples of both historical and current problems in genetics are presented, along with conversations of the relationship between genetics and society.
Conditions of Use
This book is licensed under a Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA). You can download the ebook Chromosomes, Genes, and Traits for free.
- Title
- Chromosomes, Genes, and Traits
- Subtitle
- An Introduction to Genetics
- Publisher
- ROTEL Project
- Author(s)
- Amanda Simons
- Published
- 2024-05-18
- Edition
- 1
- Format
- eBook (pdf, epub, mobi)
- Pages
- 789
- Language
- English
- License
- CC BY-NC-SA
- Book Homepage
- Free eBook, Errata, Code, Solutions, etc.
Contents Introduction Land Acknowledgement Statement for the ROTEL Grant DNA Structures The chemical nature of nucleic acids DNA Double-Helix Structure How do we know? Determining the structure of DNA Geometry of the double helix Chromosome Structure Wrap-Up Questions Genome Structure Prokaryotic genome structure Eukaryotic genome structure Eukaryotic genomes are mostly non-coding sequence Summary Wrap-up Questions Mitosis and Meiosis The cell cycle DNA content through the cell cycle M phase: Mitosis Meiosis Maturation of gametes and organism life cycle Changes in ploidy due to mis-segregation of chromosomes Differences in ploidy and the impact to meiosis Summary of the cell cycle Wrap-Up Questions Overview of Central Dogma and Replication Chemistry of replication and transcription Mechanism of replication Three dimensional DNA structure during replication Prokaryotic vs eukaryotic replication Wrap-Up Questions Transcription Overview of transcription chemistry Transcription in bacteria Eukaryotic transcription RNA processing of RNA pol II transcripts Summary Wrap-up Questions Translation and genetic code Protein structure An introduction to the genetic code The ribosome is the translation machinery tRNAs act as an adaptor between mRNA and amino acid Translation in prokaryotes Translation in eukaryotes vs prokaryotes Gene structure Summary Wrap-Up Questions Genetic Code and Mutation Mutations result when the genome is not passed perfectly intact to offspring Part I: Types of mutations Part II: DNA damage causes mutations Summary Wrap-Up Questions Regulation of Gene Expression Levels of gene expression Transcriptional gene expression: Activators and repressors One promoter can be regulated by both activators and repressors: The lac operon One transcription factor can be both an activator and repressor: The lambda phage life cycle Attenuation of transcription: the trp operon Summary Wrap-Up Questions Mendel and Basic Heredity Gregor Mendel Mendel’s Experiments Mendel’s First Law Terminology and notation Punnett Squares Mendel’s Second Law Using the rules of probability to solve problems Using an expanded Punnett square Summary Wrap-Up Questions Allele Interactions Allele function: Why are phenotypes dominant or recessive? Incomplete dominance Codominance Penetrance and Expressivity Pleiotropy Lethal alleles Classification of alleles depends on how the phenotype is defined Wrap-Up Questions Multigenic Inheritance Review from Basic Heredity Epistasis Molecular genetics of epistasis Quantitative trait loci Complementation Wrap-up Questions Genetics of Sex Chromosomes and sex development Sex vs Gender Wrap-Up Questions Family Trees and Pedigrees Not all traits and diseases are genetic: Concordance studies Pedigree analysis Linkage and Mapping Not all genes independently assort Thomas Hunt Morgan and Alfred Sturtevant: Chromosome mapping via linkage analysis Calculating map distances with a dihybrid testcross 50% recombination frequency is the max, but chromosomes are longer than 50 map units Multiple crossovers: the three-point testcross Tracking linked traits through pedigree analysis DNA variants can be molecular markers for linkage Haplotypes Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) Summary Wrap-Up Questions Epigenetics Chromatin and Chromatin Dynamics The histone code Methylation of DNA is associated with decreased transcription Epigenetics in action Summary Wrap-Up Questions Grant Information
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