BIO 692 Epigenetics
Epigenetics describes the inheritance of different functional states, which may have divergent phenotypic consequences, without any change in the sequence of DNA. This course will examine the molecular mechanisms and biological processes in which epigenetic modifications play an elemental role in inheritance. It will cover different biological mechanisms of the epigenetic machinery including: DNA methylation, histone tails, chromatin structure, nucleosome occupancy, heterochromatin assembly, gene silencing, siRNAs and miRNAs. The epigenetic profile of embryonic stem cells, cell differentiation, gene imprinting and X-chromosome inactivation will be examined as well as the relationship of epigenetics to cancers and ageing. Prerequisites: Undergraduate Genetics and Undergraduate Cell Biology.