Genetic Engineering

• To understand the basic concepts, terminology, and methodology of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.
• To comprehend the various applications of Biotechnology.
• To handle specialized bibliography and present works related to Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.

The in-person activities of the course include lectures (26h), interactive seminars (6h), laboratory practices (8h), classroom tutorials (2h), and a final exam.

• LECTURES

TOPIC 1. INTRODUCTION TO GENETIC ENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY. (1h)
TOPIC 2. ENZYMOLOGY OF RECOMBINANT DNA. PURIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF NUCLEIC ACIDS. (3h)
TOPIC 3. NUCLEIC ACID HYBRIDIZATION. (2h)
TOPIC 4. PCR. (2h)
TOPIC 5. DNA CLONING IN E. coli. (4h)
TOPIC 6. GENOMIC LIBRARIES AND MICROARRAYS. (1h)
TOPIC 7. DNA SEQUENCING. (2h)
TOPIC 8. SITE-DIRECTED MUTAGENESIS AND PROTEIN ENGINEERING. (2h)
TOPIC 9. EXPRESSION OF RECOMBINANT PROTEINS IN E. coli. (2h)
TOPIC 10. GENE EXPRESSION CONTROL. (2h)
TOPIC 11. GENETIC ENGINEERING IN YEASTS. (1h)
TOPIC 11. GENETIC ENGINEERING IN ANIMALS AND APPLICATIONS. (2h)
TOPIC 12. GENETIC ENGINEERING IN PLANTS AND APPLICATIONS. (2h)

• SEMINARS

Seminars 1 and 2. Basic calculations and problems on nucleic acid manipulations. (2h)
Seminars 3 and 4. PCR primer design and problems on PCR. (2h)
Seminars 5 and 6. Cloning and site-directed mutagenesis simulations using specific software. (2h)

• LABORATORY PRACTICES

PRACTICE 1. Purification of genomic DNA from saliva. PCR amplification of a region of the purified genome. Generation of recombinant expression vectors by DNA fragment ligation. Bacterial transformation. (3h)
PRACTICE 2. Inoculation of bacterial cultures. Analysis of PCR products in native agarose and polyacrylamide gels. Purification of plasmid DNA from bacterial cultures. Digestion with restriction enzymes. Analysis of restriction fragments and PCR products in agarose gels. Evaluation of results obtained in both sections. (2h)
PRACTICE 3. Purification of plasmid DNA from bacterial cultures. Digestion with restriction enzymes and fragment analysis in agarose gels. Analysis of results. (3h)

• TUTORIALS

Classroom tutorials will be specifically used to resolve doubts related to the various contents of the subject. (1h)

• EXAM

The exam will contain different types of questions related to any of the activities carried out during the course. (3h)

Basic bibliography

-Brown, T.A., 2016. Gene cloning and DNA analysis: An Introduction. 7th ed. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
-Clark, D.P. and Pazdernik, N.J., 2016. Biotechnology. [en liña] 2nd ed. Amsterdam: Elsevier Academic Press. Available at: https://www-sciencedirect- com.ezbuse.use.gal/book/9780123850157/biotechnology
-Real García, M.D., Rausell Segarra, C. y Latorre Castillo, A., 2017. Técnicas de ingeniería genética. Madrid: Síntesis.

Complementary bibliography

-Clark, D.P, 2019. Molecular Biology. [en liña] 3rd ed. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Available at: https://www-sciencedirect- com.ezbuse.use.gal/book/9780128132883/molecular-biology
-Glick, B.R. and Patten, C.L., 2017. Molecular biotechnology: principies and applications of recombinant DNA. 5th ed. Washington DC: ASM Press.
-Green, M.R. and Sambrook, J., 2012. Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual. 4th ed. 3 v. Cold Spring Harbor: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.
-Renneberg, R., Berkling, V., and Loroch, V., 2016. Biotechnology for beginners [en liña]. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Available at: https://www-sciencedirect- com.ezbusc.usc.gal/book/9780128012246/biotechnology-for-beginners

Other resources

http://biomodel.uah.es. Website at Universidad Alcalá de Henares
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/guide/. The National Center for Biotechnology Information, (NCBI) Main database for genomic resources (nucleotides, genes and genomes) and bioinformatic tools.
https://www.jove.com/science-education-library. Educational videos about different techniques in molecular biology and genetic engineering.
BUSC electronic resources: Cell, Nature, Science, Sciencedirect, etc.

• Knowledge/contents: Con01, Con06, Con09.
• Skills: H/D01, H/D02, H/D03, H/D04, H/D07, H/D08, H/D09, H/D10, H/D11.
• Competences: Com01, Comp02, Comp03, Comp04, Comp05, Comp06, Comp07

In the section CONTENTS OF THE SUBJECT, the approximate durations of the different in-person activities for students in the classroom or laboratory are indicated.

The lectures will be in the format of master classes presented by the responsible professor, attendance is not mandatory for students, and will last approximately 1 hour. In addition to the blackboard, audiovisual presentations will be used and will be available in the virtual course of the subject, making it easier to follow the content. In the classes, students can interrupt the professor's explanations with questions or doubts, and the professor can ask questions, request student participation in the discussion and presentation of the content, and require the search for information to be delivered in the next class. The theoretical classes will require daily follow-up and dedication (both in and out of the classroom) as the professor will present the basic aspects of the subject, which must be further explored through the use of bibliography and study. Generally, all the competencies and specific objectives of the subject will be worked on by interrelating the content and concepts of the subject and familiarizing with and handling the main bibliographic sources in the field of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, allowing students to follow and deepen the information received in the classroom.

The seminars will consist of six sessions of approximately 1 hour each, in which theoretical-practical tasks related to the content of the subject will be carried out, including problems and questionnaires, some of which will be submitted to the responsible professor for evaluation. Attendance at the seminars is not mandatory.

The laboratory practices will consist of three mandatory sessions (except for repeat students who have already passed them) in the laboratory. Attendance at the practices is 100% mandatory (a signature list will be taken). The practices will involve the execution (and review of the content provided by the teaching staff on the Virtual Campus) of some basic techniques in Genetic Engineering and will serve to reinforce and see the real application of the content shown in theory. Students must complete reports or questionnaires related to the practices, which will be graded by the responsible professor as part of the continuous assessment.

The tutorials are not mandatory and will be used to resolve doubts related to the other content of the subject.

The assessment will consist of two parts: continuous assessment and final exam:

Continuous Assessment (30% of the final grade), which is composed of:
• Seminars (20% of the final grade). NON-MANDATORY EVALUABLE ACTIVITY. The assessment will be based on the exercises/assignments submitted to the professor or completed during the seminars. At least three evaluable tasks will be carried out over the 6 seminars.
• Laboratory practices (10% of the final grade). MANDATORY EVALUABLE ACTIVITY. The assessment will score the final report and/or questions about the explained protocols. Unjustified absences or failure to submit evaluable tasks will result in a grade of NOT PASS. Students must achieve a score higher than 4 in the practices to pass the subject. Attendance at the practices will be controlled through signatures.

Final Exam (70% of the final grade). MANDATORY EVALUABLE ACTIVITY COMPLEMENTARY TO CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT. It will be carried out in person and will consist of an exam with multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions, and exercises related to the theoretical and practical content of the subject. The grade will be obtained by weighting the final exam score (a minimum score of 4 out of 10 points is necessary to perform the weighting) with the continuous assessment. If the minimum score is not achieved in the final exam, the final grade in the subject will be exclusively the weighted score of the exam.
Students who do not pass the subject in the regular opportunity can take the final exam in the recovery opportunity (2nd opportunity). The continuous assessment score will be retained for the recovery opportunity. Students who fail the practices must take a specific recovery exam.

Students who fail the subject but have passed the laboratory practices will retain that grade for the following year. Repeat students will have the same attendance requirements for interactive classes (except for practices) and the same assessment system as those enrolled for the first time.

Assessment of learning outcomes:
• Exam: Con01, Con06, Con09, H/D01, H/D03, H/D07, H/D08, H/D11, Comp01, Comp02, Comp06
• Seminar assignments/exercises: Con01, Con06, Con09, H/D01, H/D04, H/D07, H/D08, H/D09, H/D10, H/D11, Comp03, Comp06
• Practices: H/D02, H/D10, H/D11, Comp04, Comp05, Comp07

For cases of fraudulent completion of exercises or tests, the provisions of the Regulation on the evaluation of student academic performance and grade review will apply.

IN CLASSROOM WORK (Total: 43h)
Lectures: 26h
Laboratory: 8h
Seminars: 6h
Tutoring in small groups: 1h
Examinations: 2h

STUDENT'S PERSONAL WORK (Total: 69.5 h)
Individual Study: 49h
Development of practice reports and theoretical/practical questionnaires: 7h
Development of group work: 13.5 h

The most important recommendation is regular attendance, active participation in classes, and completion of the assigned tasks. Keeping up with the course material, reflecting on the concepts explained, and trying to delve deeper into them will help you master the subject.

In written exams, it is crucial to read the questions carefully, interpret the logic of the results or answers, use precise and rigorous language, and review your responses.

Although not mandatory, it is highly recommended to attend and prepare well for the seminars, completing any assessable tasks they include. Seminars not only constitute a significant part of the final evaluation but also allow you to review the lecture material, and their content is also subject to examination.

Remember to use the tutorial sessions and contact the teaching staff to resolve any doubts and problems that arise during your study of the subject and to monitor your learning progress.

To make the most of this subject, it is important to have a solid foundation in courses such as Biochemistry I, Molecular Biology, and Genetics I and II.

There will be an active virtual classroom for this subject through USC's Virtual Campus. Besides accessing the course content, you should use your institutional email, the MS-Teams platform, or messages through the Virtual Campus forum to contact the responsible teaching staff.

Plagiarism and Misuse of Technology
USC has specific regulations and procedures for handling cases of plagiarism or misuse of technology during assessments. Cases of cheating, plagiarism, using electronic devices to consult unauthorized information, or other forms of academic fraud will be sanctioned according to current regulations.