General Unit Information

This unit will examine genomes and their functional elements with a focus on how mutational changes in the genetic sequence can lead to new phenotypes and functions. In addition to developing a strong theoretical background on genome elements, you will gain hands-on experience with molecular biology techniques, including DNA extraction, sequencing and bioinformatic analysis, used to link mutations with phenotypic changes and acquisition of new functions. The application of these methods will be demonstrated using a range of case studies and industry-related examples illustrating DNA and mutations, evolution, antibiotic resistance, microbiomes, infectious disease, recombination, gene regulation, the non-coding genome, untranslated regions, splicing, transcript processing, and translation.

Outcomes

On completion of this unit students will be able to:

1. Identify functionally important sequences within a genome and explain how changes in these can impact phenotypes at both the mechanistic and molecular level;
2. Design experimental approaches to determine the functional consequences of sequence variants;
3. Demonstrate proficiency in: molecular biology and genetics laboratory techniques; problem-solving; data collection; and analysis, interpretation and presentation of results;
4. Illustrate, with examples, how the concepts presented in this unit can be applied to real-world situations.

Specific Unit Information