Genome Evolution Course - 2011

Introduction to Evolution and the Human Genome

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Presentation: (PPT or PDF)

Essay version [Note this is an older version from the last time the course was taught]

Topics

• The Human Genome
• Our heredity is contained by the chromosomes.
• The chromosomes are long sequences of an alphabet of size four.
• The human genome is ~3.2 billion letters long.
• GC content is 40% but GC islands occur more than expected by chance.
• The genome can be thought of as a mosaic of isochors (regions of distinct GC content).
• The genome contains between 30,000 to 40,000 genes whose coding regions account for 1.5% of the DNA but up to 40% if including the introns.
• It is estimated that over half of the gene transcripts undergo alternative splicing.
• Repeats account 44% of the genome.
• Simple sequence repeats (e.g. TTAGGG)
• Transposons (LINEs and SINEs)
• Coding regions are composed of recurring sequence domains.
• 2% of the genome corresponds to duplicated chromosomal segments in the genome.
• Many pseudogenes are found in the genome.
• The mitochondria has a genome too.
• Molecular life as we know it.
• All organisms on earth are carbon based.
• All organisms use the same operating system.
• All organisms use the same genetic code.
• A gradient of similarity exists between the sequences of different organisms
• What is the organizing principle of biology?
• Aristotle's Great Chain of Being
• Paley's argument from design
• Lamarck's theory of transmutation
• Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection

Suggested readings

• Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution, by Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900-1975)
• The Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin
• The Selfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins
• The Human Genome Project's 'Intial sequencing and analysis of the human genome' in Nature, 2001
• Celera's 'The sequence of the human genome' in Science, 2001
• The human genome, 10 years later. A review by Eric Lander

Assignment 1 due April 5^th 2011

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Back to the Genome Evolution Course.

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Itai Yanai, yanai@technion.ac.il