PLPPM 4380 - [Filamentous Fungal Genomics and Development]

Spring. Next offered 2017-2018 (offered alternate years). 3 credits. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: BIOMG 2800 or BIOMG 2801 or equivalent.

B. G. Turgeon.

Molecular genetic and genomic approaches to the study of fungi. Structural features of fungal genomes and contemporary methodology for functional analyses are covered. Case studies are used to discuss genome structural signatures and their relationship to gene function, and to dissect mechanisms of fungal developmental processes such as reproduction and pathogenesis (including the roles of fungal effectors and secondary metabolites). Experimental data are evaluated. Examples are chosen from investigations of model fungi.

Outcome 1: Understand the beneficial and harmful biological roles fungi play in the ecosystem.

Outcome 2: Understand that fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants or bacteria and how this knowledge informs strategies to combat diseases caused by fungi.

Outcome 3: Learn the genetic and genomic principles governing fungi.

Outcome 4: Exposure to fungal genome sequence resources and how these can be compared and manipulated to identify genes governing traits of interest.

Outcome 5: Understand the structure of fungal genomes and how knowledge of structure informs biological function.

Outcome 6: Exposure to case studies in the literature bearing on the above and to critical evaluation of data.