300267 VO Cell- and Developmental Genetics (2007S)

Part 1) Developmental genetics
How to come to developmental genes? (flower development, embryogenesis and trichome development in Arabidopsis thaliana, sporulation in Bacillus subtilis). Molecular approaches (from protein to gene, from cell type-specific RNA to gene, functional genomics), forward genetics (How to make mutants and how to characterise them? Transposon tagging, positional cloning, suppressor genes), functional characterization of genes (associated phenotype, reverse genetics, protein function).
Part 2) Drosophila as model organism. Tricks in Drosophila genetics. P-element transposition and transgenic flies. Axis formation during embryogenesis in Drosophila. Maternal contribution.
Part 3) Cytogenetics
Why sex? (Cost of sex, fitness in populations, sporulation in yeast, asexual propagation, cloning of humans, advantage of sex, sex determination, transposons). Mitosis and meiosis (Szostak-model, spo11 and spo13 in yeast, spindle checkpoint, conjugation in Tetrahymena). Epigenesis (gene silencing in Tetrahymena, Arabidopsis thaliana, RNA interference).
Part 4) Tumor genetics
Definitions, tumor types, clonal origin, tumor mutations, carcinogens. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of the six cellular alterations cooperating in tumors (Hanahan-Weinberg-concept). Oncogenic alterations not fitting Hanahan-Weinberg-concept (Inappropriate developmental plasticity, target cells for tumor formation (tumor stem cells, trans- redifferentiation).