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B028086 - MOLECULAR EVOLUTION
Main information
Teaching Language
Course Content
Suggested readings
Learning Objectives
Prerequisites
Teaching Methods
Further information
Type of Assessment
Course program
Academic Year 2019-20
Coorte 2019 - Second Cycle Degree in MOLECULAR AND APPLIED BIOLOGY
Course year
First year - Second Semester
Belonging Department
Biology (BIO)
Course Type
Single education field course
Scientific Area
BIO/18 - GENETICS
Credits
6
Teaching Hours
48
Teaching Term
24/02/2020 ⇒ 12/06/2020
Attendance required
No
Type of Evaluation
Final Grade
Course Content
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Course program
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Lectureship
Teaching Language
Italian
Course Content
Basic concepts in evolution. Main evolutionary processes of biological sequences. Techniques for the study of evolutionary processes. Development and reconstruction of evolutionary models.
Suggested readings (Search our library's catalogue)
Graur and Li, Fundamentals of molecular evolution , Sinauer 2000
Michael Michael Lynch, The Origins Origins of Genome Architecture , Sinauer 2007
Michael Michael Lynch, The Origins Origins of Genome Architecture , Sinauer 2007
Learning Objectives
Knowledge acquired: The course will provide students with knowledge on the theoretical and technical concepts of molecular evolution.
Competence and skills acquired: the main theories at the basis of the study of molecular evolution will be illustrated. Moreover, the students will acquire the competences on the most advanced computational methodologies for the study of the evolution of biological systems. The potential applications of such an approach will be illustrated through the analysis of real-world case-studies.
Competence and skills acquired: the main theories at the basis of the study of molecular evolution will be illustrated. Moreover, the students will acquire the competences on the most advanced computational methodologies for the study of the evolution of biological systems. The potential applications of such an approach will be illustrated through the analysis of real-world case-studies.
Prerequisites
Required Courses: None
Recommended Courses: Genetics; Molecular Biology
Recommended Courses: Genetics; Molecular Biology
Teaching Methods
The course includes lectures.
Contact hours for lectures: 48
Contact hours for lectures: 48
Further information
Frequency of lectures:
The attendance of the lessons is strongly recommended.
Teaching tools: slides of the lessons; scientific publications.
Office hours: to be set according to the student needs.
The attendance of the lessons is strongly recommended.
Teaching tools: slides of the lessons; scientific publications.
Office hours: to be set according to the student needs.
Type of Assessment
Exam modality: oral exam
Course program
Introduction: definitio and fields of research/application. Basic building blocks of life. Theories on the origin of life. Micro-evolutionary processes: genes in populations, mutations, genetic drift, recombination. Evolutionary changes in nucleotide sequences. Gene duplication and genome expansion. Orthologs and paralogs. Architecture and evolution of the genome. Computational techniques in molecular evolution. Models and substitution rates. Molecular phylogeny. Distance-based and likelihood-based methods. Horizontal gene transfer and mobile elements. Techniques and approaches for the identification of horizontal gene transfer.