Integration of modern techniques in biotechnology with the problems confronting animal agriculture. Techniques used in the modification of domestic animals for higher quality products and improved production are emphasized. Included are topics covering the use of animals in human health and new products derived from animal resources.
Athena Title
Animal Biotechnology
Prerequisite
(BIOL 1108 and BIOL 1108L) or (BIOL 2108H and BIOL 2108L) or CHEM 1212-1212D or CHEM 2100 or CHEM 2211
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will better understand how biotechnology will be used in animal agriculture as a preparation for graduate school, business opportunities, or employment.
By the end of this course, students will understand how biotechnology will affect agricultural production and provide solutions to current production problems.
By the end of this course, students will better understand how they may interact with biotechnology as it applies to animal science.
Topical Outline
I. The structure, function, and analysis of DNA, RNA, and protein will be reviewed
A. Making protein from DNA, Introns, coding, cap site, poly A, codons, ribosomes
B. Restriction enzymes, ligation and cloning, plasmids, vectors, phage reverse transcriptase
C. Distribution of RNA, DNA size, and complexity
D. Analysis, hybridization, labeling, westerns, northerns, southerns, PCR, sequencing
E. A list of terms and definitions
Regulation of Gene expression (cellular and intracellular communication)
A. Hormones (intracellular, extra cellular), cytokines, and other cellular stimuli will be reviewed
B. Signal pathways for gene expression
C. Genes and promoters
D. Growth and development systems
E. Nutrition responses
II. Advances, methods, and sources
This section on advanced methods will discuss the principals of the methods, resources that can be used to perform the methods, and how they relate to animal science.
A. Microarray analysis
B. 2D gels and mass spec.
C. Cloning animals by nuclear transfer
D. Transgenic animals
E. UGA core facility and what it does
III. Computer sources and data bases
This section will focus on programs and databases available on the web and at UGA.
A. NCBI-Entrez, GENBANK, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), the Molecular Modeling database (MMDB) of 3 D protein structures, the Unique Human Gene Sequence Collection (UniGene), a Gene Map of the Human Genome, the Taxonomy Browser, and the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project (CGAP), in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute. Naming genes: HUGA-Human gene nomenclature database
B. Other web sources: Jellyfish, computational molecular biology sequence analysis tools, transfac, online analysis tools
C. University sources, Bioinformatics resource (UGA)
IV. Future of agriculture and biotechnology as partners
A. Future demands on production
B. Competitive cost structures across agricultural products
C. Product quality and value-added benefits, nutraceuticals
D. Human health issues
V. Problems and opportunities in agriculture and applications of biotechnology
In the section of the class, students will address the ability of biotechnology to present opportunities and solve problems in animal agriculture. This will be done through student presentations of issues chosen from a list of topics. Topics will be chosen in the second week of class to be presented at this time. The categories of discussion will include:
A. New animal uses in production and biomedicine
New animal products from milk, eggs
Products of human health - transplant
B. Animal models in research
C. Animal improvement: Improved quality, value added concept, and improved production
VI. Business opportunities
A. Business at UGA
B. Other business opportunities
