Browse: Keyword: Mutations

You must be logged in to perform this action.

Avoiding Genomic Instability: DNA Replication, the Cell Cycle, and Cancer, Fall 2006

Abstract:: In this class we will learn about how the process of DNA replication is regulated throughout the cell cycle and what happens when DNA replication goes awry. How does the cell know when and where to begin replicating its DNA? How does a cell prevent its DNA from being replicated more than once? How does damaged DNA cause the cell to arrest DNA replication until that damage has been repaired? And how is the duplication of the genome coordinated with other essential processes? We will examine both classical and current papers from the scientific literature to provide answers to these questions and to gain insights into how biologists have approached such problems. This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.

Read the Fine Print

Detecting a Transposon Tag in Arabidopsis

Abstract:: Throughout the first half of the 20th century, geneticists assumed that a stable genome was a prerequisite for faithfully transmitting genes from one generation to the next. Working at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the post-WWII era, Barbara McClintock found quite a different story in maize (corn). She observed numerous “dissociations” – broken and ring-shaped chromosomes – and traced the source of these mutations to the short arm of chromosome 9. There she identified two related loci, “dissociator” (Ds) and “activator” (Ac).

Abstract:: " This course provides a foundation for understanding the relationship between molecular biology, developmental biology, genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, and medicine. It develops explicit connections between basic research, medical understanding, and the perspective of patients. Principles of human genetics are reviewed. We translate clinical understanding into analysis at the level of the gene, chromosome and molecule; we cover the concepts and techniques of molecular biology and genomics, and the strategies and methods of genetic analysis, including an introduction to bioinformatics. Material in the course extends beyond basic principles to current research activity in human genetics."

Abstract:: A molecular approach to biology must develop in students an understanding of molecules, their interactions and the consequences of these interactions. Biological phenomenon now more than ever rely on chemical and physical principles for molecular explanations of the phenomenon. We have selected 10 physical-chemical principles that underlie many biological processes: we call them "Molecular Stepping Stones." Below are links to entry level model-based activities for the Stepping Stones.

Read the Fine Print

Abstract:: In this article by the National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Human Genome Research, find answers to your questions about genetic testing.