Learn how changes in DNA and chromosomes arise, how cells respond to damage, and how these changes affect genetic outcomes. Drawing on content from Anthony J. F. Griffiths, John F. Doebley, Susan R. Wessler, Catherine Peichel, David Wassarman, and Sean B. Carroll, authors of Introduction to Genetic Analysis, published by Macmillan Learning, this course examines mutation, genome dynamics, and large-scale chromosome variation.

You will distinguish spontaneous, induced, and replication-slippage mutations and compare major DNA-repair mechanisms, including base-excision, nucleotide-excision, mismatch, and double-strand-break repair. You will also trace the discovery of transposable elements and compare their movement and regulation in bacteria and eukaryotes. You will then analyze changes in chromosome number and structure, including polyploidy, nondisjunction, inversions, and reciprocal translocations. Karyotypes and segregation problems give you opportunities to predict the consequences of these changes. Through readings and practice problems, you will connect molecular damage and genome rearrangements with inheritance and phenotype. The course includes approximately nine hours of learning material and builds on inheritance and molecular genetics concepts. This course is part of the The Science of Genetic Analysis: From Inheritance to DNA Technology Specialization and can also be taken independently.