What is heredity
the transmission of traits from parents to offspring
- genetic diseases are inherited traits
What is genetics
the study of genes, heredity, and genetic variation
what is a gene?
basic unit of heredity located on chromosomes
- sequence of DNA that codes for a product and its regulatory regions
what is a allele
one or two more versions of the same gene
what is a genome?
the complete set of genetic material in a cell
- includes genes as well as non coding DNA regions
common characteristics of model organisms
- short generation time
- production of numerous progeny
- the ability to carry out controlled genetic crosses
- the ability to be reared in a laboratory environment
- the availability of numerous genetic variants
- an accumulated body of knowledge about their genetic systems
what is genetics and why does it matter
genetics is the study of heredity and variation in living organisms.
- it explains how traits are passed on, why individuals differ, and how diseases arise.
What is pangenesis and why is wrong and what was slightly right about it
it is the idea that each body part produces particles (“gemmules”) that travel via blood to reproductive organs.
- wrong because acquired traits are not inherited
- truthful in that different tissues express different genes
what is Lamarck’s idea of inheritance of acquired characteristics and why is it wrong and what is slightly right
it is the idea that traits gained during life are passed onto offspring
- changes in environment do not alter genetic material in gametes
- but environment does affect phenotype
what is performationism
A fully formed miniature adult exists in sperm or egg.
what is blending inheritance, why is it wrong but also slightly right
It is the idea that: traits of offspring are a blend of parental traits
- wrong because it would eliminate variation over generations
- but some traits do show intermediate phenotypes (incomplete dominance)
What is the Germ-Plasm theory
cells in reproductive organs carry a complete set of genetic information that is passed to the egg and sperm
what Mendel discovered and his three principals
discovered basic laws of heredity by using pea plants
- law of segregation
- law of independent assortment
- law of dominance
Law of independent segregation
Each individual has two alleles per gene that separate equally during gamete formation
Law of independent assortment
Different inherited traits sort independently of one another during gamete formation.
Law of Dominance
for a trait, one allele is dominant and appears in a 3:1 ratio
- one allele can mask the expression of another
Darwin contribution
theory of evolution by natural selection
- recognized heritable variation affects survival but did not understand heredity.
Cell theory (Schleiden & Schwann)
all life is composed of cells.
- cells are the basic unit of life
- new cells arise from pre-existing cells
Progression of linking heredity to cells
- cell theory
- discovery of nucleus
- chromosomes observed during mitosis
- chromosome behaviour matches Mendel’s laws
- traits linked to chromosomes
Boveri & Sutton chromosome theory
genes are located on chromosomes and chromosome behaviour explains Mendel’s laws
What did Morgans fruit flies discover
genes are linked to specific chromosomes
Cutting-Edge Genetics
- Genome sequencing
- CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing
- Gene therapy
- Disease detection via DNA
- Vaccine development
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Topic 1 - General Concepts22
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Topic 2 - Nature of the heritable, genetic information43
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Topic 3 - DNA Replication47
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Topic 4 - Replication of Cells (Mitosis)18
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Topic 4 - Replication of Cells (Meiosis)26
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Topic 4 - Genetic variation from Meiosis34
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Topic 5 - DNA and Chromosome mutations103
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Topic 6 - Techniques in Molecular Genetics45
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Topic 7 - Transcription and Gene Regulation in Bacteria74
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Topic 8 - Alleles, Classification of Mutations and Complementation32
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Topic 9 - Mendelian Inheritance27
