| Module Identifier |
BS32420 |
| Module Title |
GENE EXPRESSION AND DEVELOPMENTAL GENETICS |
| Academic Year |
2002/2003 |
| Co-ordinator |
Dr Paul Kenton |
| Semester |
Semester 2 |
| Other staff |
Dr Gareth W Griffith, Dr Ian M Scott, Dr Richard B Kemp |
| Pre-Requisite |
BS22520 , BS21920 , BS22320 |
| Course delivery |
Lecture | 30 Hours |
| |
Other | 3 Hours 1 x 3 hour workshop |
| |
Other | 9 Hours 3 x 3 hour revision workshops |
| Assessment |
Semester Exam | 3 Hours One 3-hour theory paper | 70% |
| |
Semester Assessment | Assessment of workshop write-up (15%) due on 2nd May 2003.
Coursework essay (15%) due on 7th March 2003. | 15% |
| |
Supplementary Assessment | 3 Hours One 3-hour theory paper (80%) plus essay (20%) | 100% |
Learning outcomes
On completion of the module the student
-
should have a thorough understanding of the multiple control points at which gene expression can be regulated
-
will have studied several examples of crucial developmental processes in a range of eukaryotes that rely on the regulation of gene expression
-
should be able to interpret other developmental processes in the light of these fundamental concepts
-
will gain skills in the interpretation of data related to gene expression via the assessed workshop.
Aims
The regulated expression of genes represents the fundamental process underpinning development. This module aims to examine the fundamental molecular processes that control differential gene expression in eukaryotes and to view key developmental processes in the light of these processes.
Content
The module is split into a number of themes.
1. Regulation of Gene Expression.
Four key areas that determine the assemblage of mature, functioning proteins present within a cell at any given time will be examined. The regulation of transcription by the interaction of inducible transcription factors with both cis-acting elements and the basal transcription machinery will be discussed. This will be followed by an examination of the role of transcript processing in the generation of differential expression and will include material on alternative splicing, trans-splicing, editing, localisation and regulation of transcript stability. Here, regulation of translation initiation will be discussed along with aspects such as translational by-passing. Finally, post-translational processing and protein turnover will be examined with reference to post-translational modification, targetting and degradation.
2. Developmental Processes.
Two developmental processes, programmed cell death and oncogenesis, will be discussed. Programmed Cell Death (PCD) is an important process in development and homeostasis in many eukaryotes. We shall discuss initiation and signalling in PCD, 'anti-' and 'pro-PCD' genes, and transcriptional activation of PCD. In Oncogenesis we shall examine the molecular processes behind cancer, examining the relationship between oncogenes and proto-genes, the mechanisms by which human tumour viruses cause cancer and what these processes have revealed about 'normal' development.
3. Plant and Fungal Development.
Flower Development provides an excellent example of genetic regulation of development. The ABC model of floral development will be examined, illustrating competitive determination by homeotic genes of floral tissue specification. Leaf Development will examine the development of simple and compund dicot leaves and specialised structures such as stomata and trichomes, as well as examining unique features of monocot leaf development. Signalling and gene expression in the apical meristem will be emphasised along with the role of gene expression in leaf growth and expansion. In Genetics of Asexual Reproduction in Fungi the way in which a cascade of transcriptional activators regulates aspects of conidiation in Aspergillus nidulans will be examined. The roles of other genes in this aspect of fungal reproduction will also be discussed.
4. Vertebrate Development.
In Tissue Interactions, of the roles played by cell-cell and tissue interactions in processes as diverse as tooth, kidney and lens development will be discussed, introducing the major classes of developmental signals such as FGFs and sonic hedgehog. The role of extracellular factors and the regulated expression of Hox genes as determinants of cell fate will be examined in a section dealing with the development of the tetrapod limb. In Development of the Nervous System key processes in the formation and organisation of the vertebrate nervous system will be discussed. There will be a particular focus on the role of gene products in the cell-cell interactions that regulate a number of aspects of neural developments such as migration.
There will be two additional lectures. An Introduction to Cell Signalling, given during the first week, which, whilst optional, is recommended for students who have not taken BS22320 in the second year or who are not taking BS33620 in the final year. The second, Drosophila, a developmental model, will be given midway through the module. Again optional, this lecture will be of particular interest to those students who have not taken BS22320 in the second year.
Reading Lists
Books
** Multiple Copies In Hugh Owen
Lewin, B. (1999)
Gene VII. Oxford University Press.
Gilbert, S.. (1997)
Developmental Biology. 5th. Sinauer Associates Inc.
Howell, S.H.. (1998)
Molecular genetics of plant development. Cambridge University Press
Lodish, H.. (2000)
Molecular cell biology. 4th. W.H. Freeman & Co