Description of content
Regulation of gene expression is pivotal for the understanding of developmental programs, cellular homeostasis and many disease states including cancer, immune diseases, developmental and metabolic disorders. The gene transcription process is critically linked to regulation of chromatin. Epigenetic mechanisms such as histone modification can transmit active/inactive states of a gene through cellular divisions.
The study of transcription and chromatin regulation has received a great impetus through the availability of whole genome sequences, which sparked the development of DNA microarray and high—throughput sequencing technologies. Integration of biochemistry, molecular biology, genomics, proteomics and cell biology approaches can now provide unprecedented insight into transcription and chromatin regulation in health and disease.
This course will teach the crucial concepts of regulation of gene expression, with a focus on the process of transcription at the molecular level, but also including concepts derived from cellular, developmental and disease states. Epigenetics, chromatin and genome organization will be taught, as well as state--‐of--‐the--‐art strategies and techniques in the field of gene regulation and genome research, all with a reference to human disease.
The covered topics are: nuclear organization, genome/gene organization, the transcription machinery, chromatin regulation, epigenetics, regulation through small and long non--‐coding RNAs. Many techniques will be explained, including classical assays used to investigate transcription, as well as high--‐throughput genomic approaches and systems biology analyses.
The course consists of a combination of lectures, exercises, literature and discussions. The course will close with written exam. A large part of the course is taught by different leading (inter)national scientists (in 2013, 12 different instructors in total). The course is therefore also ideal to become acquainted with some of the top labs working in these areas. The course is intense and challenging and requires full attention throughout the duration. Although many basic molecular principles will be reintroduced, the course is only suited for students that already have basic molecular understanding of gene expression through bachelors courses such as Biomolecular Sciences and as is taught from textbooks such as Molecular Biology of the Cell (“Alberts”) or Genes (“Lewin”). If you are only superficially interested in mechanisms of gene expression/epigenetics, then this course is not suitable. In previous years this course was evaluated very highly by the students (2013, 8.6).
Registration
Please register online on the CS&D website:
www.CSnD.nl/courses. CS&D students have priority in registration until 3 weeks before the start of the course. Thereafter, registration is on 'first-come-first-serve' basis until the maximum number of 25 participants is reached.
Literature/study material used
Molecular Biology of the Cell (“Alberts”)
Genes (“Lewin”)
Mandatory for students in Master’s programme
N.A.