Learn how genetic information flows from DNA to RNA to protein, and how scientists isolate and manipulate genes. 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 connects molecular genetics with the technologies used to investigate DNA, RNA, and proteins.

You will examine the evidence that DNA is the genetic material and compare DNA replication in bacteria and eukaryotes. You will follow RNA through transcription, processing, splicing, and decay, then study how the genetic code, tRNAs, and ribosomes direct protein synthesis. You will also compare methods for detecting and quantifying genetic material, including PCR, real-time qPCR, Northern and Western blotting, and Sanger sequencing. Plasmid cloning, transgenic mice, and CRISPR introduce approaches to recombinant DNA and genome engineering. Through readings and practice problems, you will explain molecular processes and select methods for gene-isolation and manipulation tasks. The course includes approximately eleven hours of learning material and builds on foundational 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.