Department of Biological Sciences

BOTA 313: MOLECULAR GENETICS (3 UNITS)

Learning Objectives:

1. Details study of enzymes including; its structure, action and genetic control of enzyme expression.

2. Learn about DNA recombinant techniques based on transformation, transduction and conjugation.

3. Study of gene protein relations including one-gene-one-polypeptide hypothesis

4. Study of mutation in micro-organisms (i.e. bacteria and viruses)

5. Study of gene expression and regulation based on transcription and translation of protein.

6. Study of genetic codes including its characteristics and codons.

Learning outcome:

At the end of the course students should be able to:

1. Understand the enzyme structure and its function.

2. Understand the various DNA recombinant techniques.

3. Understand that a protein is a product of one or more genes.

4. Understand the processes of mutations in Bacteria and viruses.

5. Understand the process gene expression and its regulation.

6. Understand how the expression of gene product (protein) is based on the triplet genetic code.

Course Content

Enzyme structure and action.  Control of enzyme activity, Gene protein relationship.  Mutation and bacterial mutants. Transformation, recombination and conjugation in microorganisms. Phage mutants. Genetic code. Regulation of gene function.

Course Assessment

The common University rules and regulations for undergraduate examination shall apply. This course will be examined at the end of the semester over a three – hour duration. The end of semester examinations and the continuous assessment shall be based on practical, written tests and/or assignments. The end of semester examination shall make up 70% of the final mark while the continuous assessment tests consisting of practical reports, written tests and/or assignments shall make up 30% of the final mark.

References:

1. Essentials of genetics (4^th Ed.) 1999.

By: Williams S. Klug and Michael R. Cummings

Publisher: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

2. An Introduction to Genetics Analysis (3^rd Ed.)

By: David T. Suzuki, Anthony J. F. Griffiths, Jeffrey H. Miller, Richard C. Lewontin

Publisher: W.H. Freeman and Company

3. Molecular Genetics: An Introductory Narrative (2^nd Ed.) 1978

By: Gunther S. Stent and Richard Calender

Publisher: W.H. Freeman and Company

4. Molecular Genetics (1994)

By: Peter Smith-Keary

Publisher: The Macmillan Press Ltd.

5. Any genetics text book an Internet.