GENETICSAN S 213

Paula Gentry, PhDChad Steining

Contact InformationDr. Gentry

225 Shantz (West end, main floor, in small hallway)

Office 626-3642Lab 626-3572Email pgentry@u.arizona.edu

Contact InformationChad Steining

113 Forbes (Southwest corner of basement level)

Lab 626-3572Cell 403-7095Email chads@ag.arizona.edu

Concepts in Genetics7th Edition

William S. Klug and Michael R. Cummings

Will be available in the bookstore by the middle of September

Welcome Back Picnic

Wednesday, September 1, 4:30 PMCampus Ag Center (NW Corner of Campbell

Ave and Roger Rd)Ag Ed Picnic Area (west of the equine center)Find out about: dunking faculty, student clubs

and organizations, scholarship recipients

Free food and T-shirts, games and door prizes (gift certificates and football tickets)

Please contact MaryAnn Harris maharris@ag.arizona.edu

Rides are available

Job AnnouncementStudent position with USDA (includes vacation and

sick leave)Work with researchers studying aflatoxin and other

agriculturally relevant fungi

Contact Peg Kattnig: kattnig@ag.arizona.edu

COURSE OVERVIEWFour regular exams, 125 points eachDrop one exam….. No make-up examsOne comprehensive final exam, 125 points

500 POINTS TOTAL500 POINTS TOTALA ≥ 90% (≥450 pts) B = 80-89% (400-449)C = 70-79% (350-399) D = 60-69% (300-349)E ≤ 59% (≤ 299)

EXPECTATIONSYou deserve preparation, clarity and content from me.I expect you to prepare and attend. I also expect you to behave yourselves. You know what this means. Please, please, please, PUHLEEZE, avoid the following question:

“Do I need to know this…?”If I talk about it in class, you need to

know it.

WHY GENETICS?

Or, Why do they make us take this class?

Why Genetics?

Perspective!

Why Genetics?ClothingClothing… cotton, wool?FoodFood… chicken, beef, pork, milk, rice, wheat, corn, yeast? HealthHealth… drug discovery and production (antibiotics, immunosuppressive agents, recombinant compounds), organ culture, diseasesIndustryIndustry… citric acid, amylase, pharmingBiotechnologyBiotechnology…altered plant and animal genomes

Why Genetics?GENETICS: The study of genes, heredity and

variation….…at the level of the cell, the individual, an individual’s offspring and

the population in which individuals live.

GENE: A section of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the hereditary material that a) passes from one generation to the next and b) encodes information used by cells to form and do the work of cells.

Why Genetics?

DNA is the key molecule that links all the disciplines of biology.

Why Genetics?

What are the different disciplines within Genetics?1. Classical or Mendelian Genetics2. Cytological Genetics3. Molecular Genetics4. Population Genetics

Why Genetics?Classical or Mendelian Genetics

How traits encoded in DNA are passed from one generation to the next

Why Genetics?Cytological Studies

How DNA is used within a cell to direct the formation and function of a particular cell type, within an organ or functional unit.Studies use light and electron microscopy to examine cell structure and function.

Why Genetics?Molecular Genetics

Chemical structure of DNA, and by extension of genes, and how they operate at the molecular level.

Why Genetics?Population Genetics

Study of variation of gene expression within and between populations

How are the different disciplines in Genetics useful?

Plant AgricultureIncrease yieldIncrease nutritional value

Beta carotene (pre-vitamin A) in “golden” riceIncrease disease and pest resistence

StarLink Corn—engineered to contain an insecticidal protein derived from a bacteriaAnimal feed only, but sneaked into two taco shells in fall 2000 and set off a storm of controversy regarding genetically engineered crops.

Animal AgricultureIncrease meat, milk, egg and wool yieldIncrease feed efficiencyArtificial Insemination

Increase genetic progress by inseminating many females with sperm from a single sire.

Parentage Analysis

In a mixed sire system, identification of sire and dam by marker analysisCan be coupled with identification of superior individuals and marker-assisted selection programsCombine to increase yield and production

PharmingPharmaceutical production from transgenic animals

Insert a gene encoding a useful protein into the genome of an organismThe useful protein is produced in large quantities by the organism (e.g. in milk or eggs) and can be purifiedErythropoietin, tissue plasminogen activator, insulin, interferon

MedicineXenotransplantation

Development of cells, tissues and organs from non-humans for transplantation into humans.Pig organs for transplant—development of a strain of pigs whose cells do not express immunogenic markers on their surfaceCarries the risk of disease introduction– AIDS, Ebola and Mad Cow Disease (BSE) are all thought to have spread to humans from animals

Gene Therapy

When human disease has been shown to result from a mutation in a single gene (e.g. cystic fibrosis), replacement of the defective/non-working gene with a working copy restores function

Immunogenetics

Identification of immune markers that are common between groups of individuals makes possible compatible blood transfusions and organ transplant surgery

Disease DiagnosisDNA chips (microarrays)

Thousands of short DNA sequences attached to a glass slide Represent different gene sequences from normal and diseased tissuesCan be used to diagnose cancer and some metabolic diseases by identifying expression of genes associated with disease state

Forensic Analysis

Crime scene analysisDNA analysis to establish guilt or innocence