Plant Genomics and Breeding

The course will offer the students the main knowledge of genome structure, organization and evolution in model systems and in crops. The course will also provide a detailed description of the main mechanisms of regulation of gene expression and analyze principles and methodologies for forward and reverse genetic analysis.

At the end of the course the students will have to know the different components and their distribution and organization within the plant genome. They will have acquired a good comprehension of the characteristics of the repetitive DNA sequences and their role in the evolution of single genes and genomes. They will also have acquired the notions regarding the different levels of regulation of gene expression and learned the principles of the use of phenotypic and molecular markers in the construction of genetic maps and in the study of genetic diversity. They will be able to identify the main characters, along with their molecular basis, of the processes of domestication and crop improvement