Introduction to Unit 3

 Unit 3 — Genetics and Antibiotics

 

Unit 3 covers 2 chapters (Chapters 8, and 20) and will introduce you to genetics, and antibiotics.

Chapter 8 — Genetics :

This chapter will introduce you to the structure of DNA and RNA. It also covers the processes of DNA replication, transcription and translation. One important concept presented is how are genes turned on and off. This requires the understanding of DNA structure and operons. A critical part of the chapter discusses  mutagenesis (mutations) - how they occur, and their consequences to the viability of organisms. Many of these genetic principles are applicable to all living organisms, including you. Lastly, the chapter presents how bacteria exchange DNA and genes and how this affects medicine and EIDs.

 

Chapter 9 – Biotechnology

No study of genetics would be complete without some mention of biotechnology. This has had a huge influence on biology and on medicine !  We do not have time to cover all the techniques, but you need an introduction to what it encompasses in the first section. Then we'll look at 3 specific techniques which form the foundation of biotechnology: 1. Restriction enzymes to cut and slice DNA.  This is the basis for DNA fingerprinting. 2. PCR or polymerase chain reaction used to copy DNA used in forensics and gene cloning. and 3. Genome projects which decoded the blueprints for over 1000 bacteria and 400 plants and animals. This information is used in the other 2 techniques. Most of the modern medicine you will see during your career will heavily involve Biotechnology ! "Awesome" is an understatement !

 

 Chapter 20 – Antibiotics

This chapter introduces you to antibiotics, their 5 mechanisms of action, and the different classes of antibiotics. The reason we cover this topic here is that you need a good foundation in genetics to understand the mechanisms. We will also briefly discuss antimicrobials against viruses, fungi, and parasites, but most of the chapter is focused on bacteria because they are the agents of most human disease. There are 17 key drugs you will become familiar with. This will give you a head start for Nursing school ! There you'll encounter 100s !!

 

 READING ASSIGNMENTS :

READING Unit 3 BIOL 2420 F2015-09 copy.pdf Download READING Unit 3 BIOL 2420 F2015-09 copy.pdf

 

NOTE: Be advised this Unit is more difficult than the first Unit and will likely require more time to master than Unit 1.