Special Topics in Molecular Biology
Theory: 2 hours/week | Practicals: 2 hours/week | ECTS Units: 4
Lectures in the English language are offered to Erasmus students
Learning outcomes
In the prerequisite courses of the first and second year, students are introduced to the classical mechanisms of DNA replication, transcription, and translation, as well as the formation and significance of mutations, recombination, and both prokaryotic and eukaryotic regulatory elements. Special Topics in Molecular Biology builds upon this foundation by exploring areas such as recombination, transposition, epigenetics, and RNA-based regulation. The course presents more specialized yet highly important subjects in modern molecular biology, with a particular emphasis on examples from recent scientific literature and their emerging practical applications.
Syllabus
- Gene arrays and repeats
- Unequal crossing-over reshapes gene arrays
- Gene arrays preserved through equal crossing-over
- Satellite DNA in arthropods and mammals
- Centromeres of C. cerevisiae
- Brush and Polytene Chromosomes
- Structure, origin and function
- Use in studying chromosome structure, organization and gene expression
- Homologous and Site-Specific Recombination
- Homologous recombination in meiosis
- Double-strand breaks and initiation of recombination
- The synaptonemal complex
- The RecBCD system
- Eukaryotic genes in homologous recombination
- Site-specific recombination in bacteriophage λ
- Mating-type switching in yeasts
- Transposons and Retrotransposons
- Insertion sequences
- Replicative and non-replicative transposition mechanisms
- Regulation of transposition
- Hybrid dysgenesis
- Retroviral life cycle
- Retroviral genes and regulation of retrotransposition
- Applications of transposons and retrotransposons
- Epigenetics
- Structure and function of heterochromatin
- CpG island methylation
- Inheritance of epigenetic states
- X-chromosome inactivation
- Chromosome condensation and condensins
- DNA methylation and imprinting
- Oppositely imprinted genes controlled by the same locus
- Yeast prions
- Prion diseases in mammals
- Non-coding Regulatory RNAs
- Gene expression regulation by non-coding RNAs
- RNAi technology
- CRISPR technology
- Applications of Non-coding regulatory RNAs
- Applications of RNAi technology
- Applications of CRISPR technology
Laboratory Exercises
- Design of an experimental workflow for gene expression silencing via RNAi (knock-down)
- Design of an experimental workflow for gene targeting via CRISPR technology (knock-out)
- Design of an experimental workflow for gene overexpression using CRISPR activation
Student performance evaluation
Final written examination (70%), including:
- Short-answer questions
- Problem-solving
- Multiple-choice questions
Short tests conducted during the laboratory exercises, contributing 30% of the final grade.
Suggested bibliography
- Lewin’s Genes ΧII, Krebs. Goldstein, Kilpatrick. Jones & Bartlett Learning, English Edition 2018/ελληνική έκδοση 2021.
- Βασικές Αρχές Μοριακής Βιολογίας, Burton E. Tropp, Ακαδημαϊκές Εκδόσεις Ι. Μπάσδρα και ΣΙΑ Ο.Ε., 2014.
- Μοριακή Βιολογία του Γονιδίου, James Watson, Tania Baker, Stephen Bell, Alexander Gann, Michael Levine, Richard Losick, UTOPIA ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΕΠΕ, 2011.
Teaching Material / E-class
Lecturers
Kostas Mathiopoulos (Course Coordinator)
