ABT 460 Spring 2016 syllabus

ABT 460: Introduction to Molecular Genetics

Agricultural Science Building North, Room N-12
Tuesday/Thursday 12:30 pm 1:45 pm
Course Description:
ABT 460 is designed to provide students with an introduction to the molecular
mechanisms underlying DNA replication, gene expression and genome maintenance in
prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. With an understanding of the basic features of
molecular genetics, we will apply this knowledge to issues of development, evolution and
disease.
Text:
Lewins Essential Genes (3rd edition)
Jocelyn E. Krebs, Elliot S. Goldstein, Stephen Kilpatrick
ISBN-13: 9781449644796

Instructor:
Professor Luke Moe
Office: 311 Plant Science Building
Phone: (859) 218-0761
e-mail: luke.moe@uky.edu
Office Hours:
Wednesdays 2:00 PM 3:00 PM, or by appointment.
Grading:
Grades will be awarded based on the following scale:
A = 90% and above
B = 80-89%
C = 70%-79%
D = 60%-69%
E = less than 60%

ABT 460 Spring 2016 syllabus

An E without a chance to re-take the class will result from failure due to cheating or
plagiarism. If the occasion arises that the scores are significantly lower than expected, I
may apply a curve to lower the percentages required for each letter grade. I will not
curve the class to increase percentages required for each letter grade.
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Final exam
In-class work
Out-of-class work
Total

20%
20%
20%
20%
10%
10%
100%

You will be graded according to the above chart. As you can see, exams count for 80%
of your grade, while in-class and out-of-class assignments count for 10% each.
Exams:
Each exam will test your knowledge of the materials covered in lectures and assigned
readings or other assigned details (this may include videos, podcasts, website content, or
information provided in other media). Exams will be closed-bookthat is, you will
not be allowed to use any books, notes, electronic devices, or other external sources
during the exam. Each exam is worth 20% of your total grade. With the exception of the
final exam, the exams will not cover materials from previous sections (i.e. exam 2 will
only cover materials introduced after exam 1). The final exam will include two sections.
One section will cover the materials introduced after exam 3, and the other section will be
a comprehensive section that will test your knowledge of the course materials as a whole.
Other graded work:
We will have various graded exercises both during and outside of classsome of these
will be announced, some will be unannounced. These exercises will include quizzes,
problem sets, and response writing. These may be individual or group exercises. These
exercises will vary in terms of their point value, but together will comprise 20% of your
grade. Note that unexcused absences will preclude your ability to complete in-class
assignments
Expectations:
Extensive study time outside of class hours will be required for you to do well in this
course. An average of 6-9 hours of study per week would be considered normal study
time for this course. The assigned readings will be very helpful and will give you a good
basic understanding of the material, but these alone are not sufficient for you to gain a
full comprehension of the course material. Lectures will build upon this basic knowledge
to provide you with a more complete understanding of the material. In addition to testing
your basic understanding of the course materials, exams and graded assignments will
examine your ability to make inferences and connections that may go beyond what is
explicitly described in the lectures and readings. Additional reading material may be
suggested during lectures.

ABT 460 Spring 2016 syllabus

Course Policies:
Students are expected to abide by the student code of conduct as described by the office
of student affairs (http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Code/).
I will not take attendance during class. Nonetheless, unexcused absences will result in a
zero score for any unannounced in-class assignments completed or quizzes that are
taken during the class period. Announced assignments handed in late will be docked
points at a rate of 20% per day (starting immediately after the end of the class period).
If you know ahead of time that you will be missing a class period, I strongly encourage
you to notify me prior to the day of the class. In the case of excused absences,
arrangements may be made to complete any in-class work or quizzes outside of class
time.
Make-up exams can be arranged in the case of documented, University-excused
absences. You will be responsible for informing me at least one week in advance if you
will not be able to attend an exam.
If you have a documented disability that requires academic accommodations, please see
me as soon as possible during scheduled office hours. In order to receive
accommodations in this course, you must provide me with a Letter of Accommodation
from the Disability Resource Center (725 Rose Street, Suite 407, 859-257-2754, e-mail
address: dtbeac1@uky.edu) for coordination of campus disability services available to
students with disabilities.
If you believe that your assignment, quiz, or exam was graded erroneouslyor if you
discover that a mistake was made adding the total pointsit is your responsibility to
bring this to my attention within one week of the assignment due date, quiz, or exam. In
reasonable cases, I will be willing to re-grade assignments, quizzes, or exams under these
circumstances. Note, however, that I reserve the right to re-grade the entire assignment,
quiz, or exam. This may result in the final score being the same, higher, or even lower.
Academic Honesty:
It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the definitions of and sanctions for
cheating and plagiarism at the University of Kentucky. Information on plagiarism at the
University of Kentucky can be found at the following site:
http://www.uky.edu/Ombud/Plagiarism.pdf.
While I encourage you to work together outside of class, I expect that each individual
will be solely responsible for the content of their assignments, quizzes, and exams. It is
not acceptable for students to turn in identical answers (or mere re-phrasings of identical
answers) for in-class or out-of-class assignments. For group work, I expect equal
contribution among group members, and I reserve the right to grade individuals within a
group differently if it is apparent that this is not the case.

ABT 460 Spring 2016 syllabus

For exams and quizzes, the following will be considered evidence of cheating:
Communicating in any way with classmates
Accessing any electronic device that can send, receive, display, or play back
information in any form
Availing yourself of any written or printed material except what is explicitly allowed
by the instructor
Looking at the exam of a neighbor
Adjusting body position to ensure that a neighbor can view your exam
The first cheating/plagiarism infraction will result in zero credit for the
assignment/quiz/exam. Any second infraction will incur an E (failing) grade for the
course.
Rules governing cheating and plagiarism are in accord with Section VI of the code of
student conduct (http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Code/part2.html).
Cell phones and other electronic devices must be rendered silent during class unless there
is a documented reason otherwise.

ABT 460 Spring 2016 syllabus

Calendar:
Day/ Lect
R/1
T/2
R/3
T/4
R/5
T/6
R/7
T
R/8
T/9
R/10
T/11
R/12
T/13
R
T/14
R/15

Date
Topic
Reading*
14 Jan
DNA, RNA, and protein
Ch. 1-2
19 Jan
Genes and genomes
Ch. 4-5
21 Jan
Genome structure and evolution
Ch. 6-8
26 Jan
Genome structure and evolution
Ch. 6-8
28 Jan
Chromosomes and chromatin
Ch. 9-10
2 Feb
DNA replication
Ch. 11-12
4 Feb
DNA replication
Ch. 13-14
9 Feb
Exam 1
11 Feb
Recombination
Ch. 15
16 Feb
Mutation and DNA repair
Ch. 16-18
18 Feb
Mutation and DNA repair
Ch. 16-18
23 Feb
Prokaryotic transcription
Ch. 19
25 Feb
Eukaryotic transcription
Ch. 20
1 Mar
RNA processing
Ch. 21
3 Mar
Exam 2
8 Mar
DNA sequencing and analysis
-10 Mar
DNA sequencing and analysis
-14-19 Mar
SPRING BREAK
T/16
22 Mar
mRNA stability and localization
Ch. 22
R/17
24 Mar
Translation
Ch. 24
T/18
29 Mar
omics methods
-R/19
31 Mar
omics methods
-T/20
5 Apr
Prokaryotic gene regulation
Ch. 26
R/21
7 Apr
Eukaryotic gene regulation
Ch. 28
T/22
12 Apr
Epigenetic effects
Ch. 29
R
14 Apr
Exam 3
T/23
19 Apr
Regulatory RNA
Ch. 30
R/24
21 Apr
Genome editing
-T/25
26 Apr
Metagenomics and the human microbiome
-R/26
28 Apr
Synthetic biology (and Final review)
-Thursday May 5th
Final Exam
1:00 PM
*Assigned readings are chapters from the ABT 460 designated textbook
-- indicates that additional material may be supplied with lecture