- Docente: Giorgio Milazzo
- Credits: 6
- SSD: BIO/18
- Language: English
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Genomics (cod. 9211)
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from Mar 10, 2025 to May 26, 2025
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course the student is familiar with the mechanisms underlying epigenetic phenomena pertaining gene regulation and genome organization. The student is able to frame the adaptation of genomic high-throughput assays to the study of the complete set of epigenetic modifications on the genetic material of a cell, and their impact on gene expression, genome stability, cellular differentiation and tumorigenesis.
Course contents
Historical notes about the birth of Epigenetics as a new scientific discipline. Basic concepts and analysis of phenomena that apparently do not follow mendelian laws.
Expressivity of the genome independent from DNA sequence. Analysis of genetic inheritance beyond DNA sequence.
Defining multiple transcriptomes from the same informational DNA sequence. Understanding how transcription works: Basal transcription.
Control of gene expression: Control of gene expression, Control of gene expression, post-transcriptional regulation.
Protein-DNA interaction and dimerization of transcription factors. Gene transcriptional regulation through combinatorial use of cis and trans elements.
EMSA Electroforesis Mobility Shift Assay. Size exclusion chromatography.
Sequential assembly of the general transcription factors in ‘basal’ transcription
Transcription regulation depends upon chromatin architecture and on how this is functionally regulated.
Nucleosomes, histone code and Epigenetic readers, writers and erasers.
Chromatin ImmunoPrecipitation - ChIP. ChIP-seq data analysis.
Histone acetylation. Definition of GCN5 Acetyltransferase role. GCN5 containing complexes.
Nucleosome remodelling and SWI/SNF complex.
Position effect variegation in Drosophila organism. Non canonical role of Histone writers and erasers on proteins.
Hdac containing complexes and it's role in gene expression.
Distal regulatory genomic regions: Enhancer. Definition of Active and poised Enhancer. Chromosome Conformation Capture assays.
Definition of Promoter and Enhancer based transcriptional regulation. Gene dependencies definition and Super-enhancer.
The DNA methylation problem. CpGs or not CpGs. CpG islands.
De novo or maintenance of DNA methylation. DNMTs and their function during development.
Readings/Bibliography
EPIGENETICS II edition CSHL edited by D. Allis
ISBN 978-1-936113-59-0
papers from scientific literature
Teaching methods
Lectures, group discussion, brain storming, flipped classroom
Assessment methods
Oral exam
Teaching tools
Course materials (ppt presentations, problems and solutions, suggested readings) will be made available to students by using "VIRTUALE" online platform.
Office hours
See the website of Giorgio Milazzo