Course code:
064B2		 Course name:
Molecular Genetics

Academic year:

2024/2025.

Attendance requirements:

062B2

ECTS:

6

Study level:

basic academic studies

Study program:

Biochemistry: 3. year, winter semester, compulsory course

Teacher:

Milica P. Keckareviĉ-Markoviĉ, Ph.D.
assistant professor, Faculty of Biology, Studentski trg 3, Beograd

Assistant:

Milica Lj. Mihajloviĉ Srejiĉ

Hours of instruction:

Weekly: three hours of lectures + two hours of labwork (3+0+2)

Goals:

The goal of this course is to introduce students to the fundamentals of molecular genetics, particularly to the phenomena regarding the genome expression (recombination and the mechanisms of the regulation of gene expression); to the basic methods and model systems in molecular genetics; to new scientific disciplines such as genomics and comparative genomics; to the application of basic knowledge of molecular genetics in the study of complex cellular processes, such as the cell death of the apoptosis type and neoplastic transformation.

Outcome:

Students have mastered the fundamentals of molecular genetics, particularly the phenomena regarding the genome expression (recombination and the mechanisms of the regulation of gene expression). They have also mastered the basic methods and model systems in molecular genetics.

Teaching methods:

Lectures, theory exercises.

Extracurricular activities:

—

Coursebooks:

Main coursebooks:

  • Goran Brajušković: Molekularna biologija 2. Beograd, Savremena administracija 2012.

Supplementary coursebooks:

  • J. D. Watson, T. A. Baker, S. P. Bell, A. Gann, M. Levine, R. Losick (editors): Molecular Biology of the Gene. 5th Edition, San Francisco, Pearson Education Inc. 2004

Additional material:

—

  Course activities and grading method

Lectures:

0 points (3 hours a week)

Syllabus:

  1. Historical perspectives of molecular genetics
  2. Homologous recombination
  3. Site-specific recombination
  4. Transposition
  5. The regulation of gene expression in prokaryotes
  6. The regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes
  7. Regulatory RNAs in prokaryotes
  8. Regulatory RNAs in eukaryotes
  9. RNA interference
  10. DNA methylation and genomic imprinting
  11. The molecular biological methods for DNA analysis
  12. The molecular biological methods for RNA analysis
  13. The molecular biological methods for protein analysis
  14. Model systems in molecular genetics

Labwork:

10 points (2 hours a week)

Syllabus:

  1. Molecular biological methods for the analysis of chromosomes
  2. Molecular biological methods for the analysis of DNA molecules
  3. Molecular biological methods for the analysis of RNA molecules
  4. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), RT-PCR and "real-time" PCR
  5. Molecular biological methods for the analysis of proteins
  6. Molecular biological methods for mutation detection
  7. Molecular biological methods for mutation screening
  8. Array methods
  9. Molecular biological methods for genome sequencing
  10. Methods used for sequencing large genomes
  11. The defense of students' term papers
  12. The defense of students' term papers
  13. The defense of students' term papers
  14. A visit to a laboratory of molecular biology
  15. A visit to a laboratory of molecular biology

Semester papers:

5 points

Remarks:

Seminar papers are done in writing. The seminar paper deals with current research papers on topics from the program syllabus. The seminar paper is written in a Word document, up to 500 words maximum, and sent to the department's email: kbmb@bio.bg.ac.rs, no later than December 1st. The choice of topics is arbitrary, that is, students choose the topic themselves, and submit the topic titles to the same email address for approval, no later than November 1st.

 

Colloquia:

45 points

Remarks:

There are two progress tests, the first test carries 25, and the second carries 20 points.

Oral exam:

40 points