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SCIENCE
An Introduction to Genetics
I. CELLULAR REPRODUCTION
30%
A. A Brief History of Genetics before Mendel
B. Major Discoveries circa World War I
C. A Brief History of the Discovery of Cells
D. The Evolution and Diversity of Cells
E. The Architecture of Cells
1. Cell Structures in Prokaryotes
a. Plasma Membrane
b. Cytoplasm
c. Nucleoid Region
d. Ribosomes
e. Plasmids
f. Cell Wall
g. Surface Appendages
2. Cell Structures in Eukaryotes
a. Plasma Membrane
b. Cytoplasm
c. Nucleus
d. Ribosomes
e. The Endomembrane System
f. Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
g. Golgi Apparatus
h. Lysosome
i. Vesicles
j. Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
k. Cytoskeletal Elements
l. Centrioles/Centrosomes
m. Cilia and Flagella
n. Mitochondria and Chloroplasts
o. Central Vacuoles
3. Subcellular Organelles Involved in Cell Reproduction
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a. Nucleus
b. Centrosomes and Microtubules
c. Cell Membrane and Cell Wall
F. The Life Cycle of an Organism
1. Asexual Reproduction
a. Binary Fission in Prokaryotes
b. Mitosis in Eukaryotes
2. The Cell Cycle
a. Interphase
b. M Phase: Mitosis
3. Sexual Reproduction
a. Unicellular Organisms
b. Multicellular Organisms
c. Fertilization: Fusion of the Two Gametes
d. Embryonic Development: From Conception to Reproductive Maturity
e. Where Do All Our Cells Come From? What are Stem Cells?
G. Sources of Genetic Variation
1. Mutation
2. Crossing Over
3. Independent Sorting of Chromosomes
4. Random Mating and Fertilization
H. The Three Major Types of Somatic Cells
1. Dividing Cells
2. Non-Dividing Cells
3. Reproductively Dormant Cells
I. Control of the Cell Cycle
J. What Happens When Cell Division Goes Out of Control?
II. THE PATTERN OF INHERITANCE
35%
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Tale of the Garden Pea: The Basis of Mendelian Genetics
Important Terms Used in the Study of Genetics
An Introduction to Genetics
Gregor Mendel’s Experiments
1. Gregor Mendel’s Major Contributions to Genetics
2. The Rediscovery of Mendel’s Contributions around World War I
3. The Significance of Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance
E. Determining Probability Using the Punnett Square
F. Diversity in the Pattern of Inheritance
1. Incomplete Dominance: The Story of Low Density Lipoprotein Receptors
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2. Co-Dominance Case Study: Blood Types
3. Pleiotropy—A Single Gene May Influence a Host of Traits
4. Polygenic Inheritance—One Phenotype May Be Controlled by Multiple Genes
5. Some Traits May Be Expressed Together—Linked Genes
6. How Is Sex Determined?
7. An X-linked Trait in Humans—Colorblindness
8. Inheritance of Genes on the Y Chromosome
9. Inheritance of Mitochondrial and Chloroplast Genes
10. Genetic Testing
III. MOLECULAR GENETICS
35%
A. The Merging of Two Giants: The Modern Synthesis of Evolution and Genetics
B. Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
C. The Post-Darwin Era
1. The Genetic Basis of Evolution by Natural Selection
2. Population Genetics
3. The Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium
4. The Modern Synthesis
D. What Is the Genetic Material?
1. Mononucleotides
2. Polynucleotides
E. The Identification of DNA as the Genetic Material
1. The Cracking of the Genetic Code
a. Franklin’s Contribution
b. Watson and Crick
F. DNA Structure
1. The Genetic Code
G. DNA Replication
H. Mutation
I. Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)
1. Types and Chemical Structure of RNA
J. Protein Synthesis
1. How Do DNA and RNA Collaborate to Make Proteins?
2. The Function of Proteins
3. Transcription and Post-transcriptional Modification
4. Translation and Post-translational Modification
5. RNA: A Nucleotide for All Seasons
K. Modern Molecular Genetics: Recombinant DNA and Genomics
1. Recombinant DNA Technology
2. Restriction Enzymes
3. The Mass Production of DNA: The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
4. Gene Cloning and the Mass Production of Proteins
5. Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP or DNA Fingerprinting)
6. Agarose Gel Electrophoresis
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7. Transgenic and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
L. Genetic Variations among Humans
M. Epigenetics: Can Genes Be Influenced by the Environment?
N. The Human Genome Project (HGP)
1. What Have We Learned from the HGP?
2. The Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of the HGP
3. What Happens Next?
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