It’s somewhat amazing that at the genetic level every cell in your body is identical. Yet, at the functional, or phenotypic, level this is far from true – a neuron is very different to a heart muscle cell which is very different to a white blood cell. This course explores how this functional difference comes about and how the expression of our genes is central to this process.
What are the consequences for gene expression that goes wrong? In the most extreme cases it can lead to death in utero, in other instances it might lead to the inappropriate growth or placement of body parts, or it could result in the development of diseases such as cancer. Sometimes, we may never notice or be aware of a change in gene expression. It is often essential that gene expression is altered, how else could we fight off infection or respond to changes in our need for energy at the cellular level?
This course will focus on understanding why the tight control of gene expression is so important and what happens when it goes wrong. It will also explore how bacteria and eukaryotic cells control and regulate the expression of their genes. This includes the use of inducers, repressors, transcription factors, and processes such as alternative splicing and epigenetics.
An excellent complement to this course is Pa1.
Learning outcomes
- To understand the importance of controlling gene expression at the level of the individual cell and the whole organism;
- To be able to briefly explain some of the mechanisms by which bacteria and eukaryotic cells regulate expression of their genes;
- To summarise some of the impacts of inappropriate, or uncontrolled, gene expression.
