Post Graduate in Genetics

This paper in genetics has been structured to give the student an in depth
knowledge of the organization of the genome in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, the
principles of genetic inheritance and other vital aspects such as Hardy Weinberg law,
pedigree analysis and the genetic basis of disease inheritance.
Objective: The major objective of the paper is to envisage thorough knowledge in
genetics and genome organizations in organisms.
Goal: After successful completion of the paper the students will get an overall view
about genetic makeup of organisms and can take up a career in research.
UNIT I
Genome Organization in prokaryotes: genome of bacteria, bacteriophage and viruses,
plasmids. The fine structure of a prokaryote gene; Genetics of bacteria: transformation,
conjugation, transduction; the genetic map of E.coli genetic recombination.
Genetics of viruses: Life cycle of virulent bacteriophages, temperate phages and
prophage; genetic recombination in phages; mapping genes in phage lambda; The RNA
phages, tumor viruses and cancer; viroids
Recombination in Fungi; tetrad analysis; detection of linkage and crossing over.
UNIT II
Genome Organization in Eukaryotes, variation in chromosome number: haploidy,
polyploidy, aneuploidy. Variation in chromosome structure: deficiency of deletion,
duplication, translocation, inversion and B-chromosome. The fine structure of Eukaryote
gene; pseudo alleles, deletion mapping, split genes, overlapping genes; transposons.
Linkage recombination and gene mapping: crossing over; The three poing cross; double
crossing over, cytological basis of crossing over; sex linkage; recombination in
Neurospora; gene mapping in fungi.
UNIT III
Principles of Mendelian inheritance; Mendel's experiments-monohybrid, dihybrid
trihybrid and multihybrid crosses. Interaction of genes: incomplete dominance, co
dominance, epistasis, complementary genes, duplicate genes, polymeric genes, modifying
genes; lethal genes. Environment and gene expression: penetrance and expressivity;
temperature, light, phenocopies. Environmental effects and twin studies; human
intelligence, drug resistance. Quantitative or polygenic inheritance: Inheritance of kernel
color in wheat; corolla length in tobacco skin color inheritance in man, transgressive and
regressive variation. Multiple alleles; Sex determination; Extra chromosomal inheritance.
UNIT IV
Populations and gene frequencies; Gene and Genotype frequencies, The Hardy Weinberg
Law, Non random mating, variation in populations, changes in gene frequencies in
populations. Human Genetics: Human chromosomes, pedigree analysis, Mendelian traits
and sex linked traits in human inheritance. Genetic diseases due to defects in autosomal
genes, sex linked genes, non-disjunction, chromosomal aberrations, aneuploidy in man,
lethal genes.
UNIT V
Prenatal diagnosis of genetic diseases- amniocentesis, karyotyping, DNA/RNA probes.
DNA probes in the diagnosis of infectious diseases; Tuberculosis, Malaria, Chagas
disease, AIDS, HPV, Lymph disease and periodontal diseases. DNA probes in diagnosis
of genetic diseases: Cystic fibrosis, Sickle cell anemia, Cancer, Diabetes, Obesity. DNA
markers in disease diagnosis and finger printing; RFLPs, VNTRs, microsatellites and
SNPs. Gene therapy, Human genome project.