1. Genetics and Information Transfer
Big Idea 3
Genetics and Information Transfer

2. Essential Questions
How are traits passed from one generation to the next?
How do eukaryotic cells store, retrieve, and transmit genetic information?
How does genotype affect phenotype?
How are genotype and human disorder related?
How does gene expression control the cell and determine its metabolism?
What are the current trends in genetic engineering techniques that guide manipulation of genetic material?
What social and ethical issues are raised by advances in genetic engineering?

3. Supplemental Reading
Over this unit, we will be reading “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot
I have asked teachers if they have copies of this book, but you can download it for Kindle and it is only about $10
We will also watch the movie “Gataca”, so if you have a copy of it, please let me know.

4. Day 1 Required Readings: Bozeman Videos: Chapter 12, 13, 21 Mitosis
Meiosis

5. Learning Objectives
Make predictions about natural phenomena occurring during the cell cycle
Describe events that occur in the cell cycle
Construct an explanation how DNA in chromosomes is transmitted to the next generation via mitosis or meiosis
Represent the connection between meiosis and increased genetic diversity necessary for evolution

6. Activity 1 Complete the “Mitosis sequencing” handout
Put the phases in the correct order
Time: 10 minutes

7. Activity 2
Complete “Modeling Mitosis” and “Modeling Meiosis” using the plastic chromosomes
Write down what is happening in each phase
Time: 30 minutes

8. Activity 3
Create a Venn diagram that compares the process of eukaryotes passing heritable information to next generations of cells by mitosis and meiosis
Explain connections between mitosis and meiosis and increased genetic diversity
Evaluate and explain the differences and similarities between mitosis and meiosis
Time: 20 minutes

9. Activity 4 Explain the role of regulators in the cell cycle
What phases in the cell cycle are regulators found?
What happens if these regulators are defective?
Time: 20 minutes

10. Closing activity
Quiz!
Time: 10 minutes

11. Day 2 Required Readings: Bozeman Videos: Chapter 12, 13, 21 Mitosis
Meiosis

12. Learning Objectives
Define cancer and differentiate between benign and malignant tumors.
Explain that cancers result from mutations in genes that control the cell cycle.
Understand how cancerous cells move around the body.
Know the difference between tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes, and understand how these
genes contribute to cancer formation.

13. Activity 1 We will go through the activity “But I’m too Young!”
Time: 70 minutes

14. Closing Activity
Quiz!
What are three important things that you learned from this case study?
How is this case study applicable to your life? What things can you do to decrease the risk of something like this happening to you?
Time: 10 minutes

15. Day 3 Required Readings: Bozeman Videos:
Lab #7: Cell Division: Mitosis and Meiosis
Bozeman Videos:
Mitosis and Meiosis Lab

16. Learning Objectives
Make predictions about natural phenomena occurring during the cell cycle
Describe the events that occur in the cell cycle
Construct an explanation as to how DNA in chromosomes is transmitted to the next generation via mitosis, or meiosis followed by fertilization
Represent the connection between meiosis and increased genetic diversity necessary for evolution
Evaluate evidence provided by data sets to support the claim that heritable information is passed from one generation to another generation through mitosis, or meiosis followed by fertilization
Connect the process of meiosis to the passage of traits from parent to offspring

17. Pre-lab Questions What is the purpose of cell division?
What are the outcomes of mitosis and meiosis?
How does meiosis increase the genetic diversity in a population?
How many cells are in your body? How were those cells produced from a single cell (zygote)?
What are some advantages of asexual reproduction in plants?
What is the importance of DNA replication prior to cell division?
How is the cell cycle controlled? What would happen if the control were defective?

18. Activity 1: Mitosis
How does the genetic information in a cell from your toe compare to the genetic information in a cell from your arm?
What other purposes besides growth would require cell division? How do cells divide?
Use the clay provided to demonstrate the different stages in mitosis and what is happening in each stage

19. Mitosis in Onion Root Tips
We will use the following website to conduct our investigation on mitosis:
Complete Table 1 for the onion cells you observe and collect the other groups’ data (put those in “Tip 2” and “Tip 3”)
Complete steps 1-4 and 1-2 on S89

20. Review Questions What was the importance of collecting the class data?
Was there a significant difference between the groups?
Does an increased number of cells in mitosis mean that these cells are dividing faster than the cells in the roots with a lower number of cells in mitosis?
How else could you determine the rate of mitosis in root tips?

21. Activity 2: Loss of Cell Cycle Control
Pre-lab Questions:
How are normal cells and cancer cells different from each other
What are the main causes of cancer?
How can we explain the fact that there are so many different cancers, even in the same types of cells or tissues?
How is the cell cycle controlled in normal cells?
What goes wrong during the cell cycle in cancer cells?
What makes some genes related to increased cancer risk?
Do you think that the chromosomes might be different between normal and cancer cells?

22. Activity 2 (Cont’d)
Look up pictures of cancer cells vs. normal cells. Include these in your report
Compare the chromosomes from a normal individual and a HeLa cell
Discuss their appearance
Did the results match your hypothesis (last question from previous slide)?
What information do you need to validate your conclusion?
In normal cells, mitosis is blocked if there is DNA damage
What would happen if cells with mutated DNA replicated?
How does p53 play a role in the cell cycle? What happens if it is damaged?

23. Activity 3: Meiosis Pre-lab questions:
How is meiosis important to a sexually reproducing organism?
What would happen if eggs and sperm were produced by mitosis instead of meiosis?
How can crossing over between homologous chromosomes be detected?
How do meiosis and fertilization affect genetic diversity and evolution?
How do sexually reproducing organisms produce gametes from diploid cells?
How does the process increase gamete diversity?
What are the outcomes from independent assortment and crossing over?
How does the distance between two genes or a gen and a centromere affect crossing over frequencies?

24. Activity 3 (Cont’d) Sordaria fimicola is a fungus
You will measure crossover frequencies and genetic outcomes from Sordaria cards and examine asci (formation of eight haploid ascospores contained within a sac called an ascus (plural, asci)) produced by crossing wild type (black) with tan parents
Each ascus contains 8 spores
Parent type has four tan and four black spores in a row (4:4)
Recombinant asci will not have this pattern (2:2:2:2, 2:4:2)

25. Activity 3 (cont’d)
Take a card and complete table 3 on page S95

26. Write Up
CERR Model
Claim – Discuss what mitosis and meiosis are, what results from them, when they are used and what controls them
Evidence – 2 tables plus chi-square calculations
Reasoning – Discuss why you saw what you saw. There are some great leading questions in the student lab manual given to you, as well as the pre-lab questions that you can refer back to
Rebuttal – Why do meiosis and mitosis not occur in a different way? Why does a cell not have zero checkpoints? Why do sexually reproducing organisms not all look exactly alike? Etc.

27. Day 4 (60 minutes)
Test (Chapter 12, 13, investigation 6)

28. Day 5 Required Readings: Bozeman Videos: Chapter 14, 15
Mendelian Genetics
Genotypes and Phenotypes
Chromosomal Genetics
Genetics
Chi-Square Test

29. Learning Objectives
Construct a representation that connects the process of meiosis to the passage of traits from parent to offspring
Apply mathematical routines to determine Mendelian patterns of inheritance provided by data sets
Explain deviations from Mendel’s model of the inheritance of traits
Explain how the inheritance patterns of many trains cannot be accounted for by Mendelian genetics

30. Activity 1
Watch the video “Basics of Genetics: Understanding Inheritance” and complete the questions that go along with it
Time: 40 minutes

31. Activity 2
We cannot conduct the experiment with Wisconsin Fast Plants, but suppose you are given the following data for different traits. Complete the handout given to you for expected values and complete the chi-square calculations
This is for a monohybrid cross for 2 different traits with 100 plants
Predict the expected results for a dihybrid cross between the 2 traits. You have 100 plants
Time: 20 minutes

32. Data Table Phenotype Observed Number of Plants (o)
Purple stem (Dominant trait)
685
Non-purple stem (recessive trait)
315
Green leaf (Dominant trait)
647
Yellow-green leaf (recessive trait
353

33. Activity 3
We will do the virtual fly lab (time permitting) to see the difference between sex-linked and autosomal inheritance
You should have a username and password
Complete the tables and questions as you go along

34. Day 6 Bozeman videos: Chromosomal Genetics Blood Types X-inactivation
Signal Transmission and Gene Expression
Gene Regulation

35. Learning Objectives
Apply mathematical routines to determine Mendelian patterns of inheritance provided by data sets
Explain deviations from Mendel’s model of the inheritance of traits
Explain how the inheritance patterns of many traits cannot be accounted for by Mendelian genetics
Use evidence to justify a claim that a variety of phenotypic responses to a single environmental factor can result from different genotypes within the population

36. Activity 1
Watch the video “Basics of Genetics: The Human Genome” and answer the questions that go along with it.
Time: 35 minutes

37. Activity 2: Punnett Squares
Watch the video and complete the examples for Punnett Squares
If you finish, you can work on your fly lab
Fly lab is due October 22

39. Day 7
Required Readings:
None

40. Learning Objectives
Pose questions about the ethical, social, or medical issues surrounding human genetic disorders
Construct a representation that connects the process of meiosis to the passage of traits from parent to offspring

41. Activity 1 – Research for the lesson, discussion will be next day
Choose one of the following disorders to research, or you may choose one of your own:
Sickle-cell anemia
Tay-Sachs disease
Colour blindness
Huntington’s disease
Down Syndrome
Kleinfelters
ALD (Lorenzo’s Oil)
Gather information and discuss the following points with the class with regards to your disorder:
Ethical, social, and medical issues that surround your disorder
Write a 2-3 page paper about your disorder and the issues you discussed in class (due October 30)
Use the “Human Genome” research site for data

42. Day 8 (60 minutes) Required Readings: Bozeman Videos: Chapter 16, 17
DNA and RNA part 1 and 2
Mutations

43. Learning Objectives
Construct scientific explanations that use the structures and mechanisms of DNA and RNA to support the claim that DNA and, in some cases, RNA are the primary sources of heritable information
Describe representations and models illustrating how genetic information is translated into polypeptides

44. Activity 1
Complete the “See your DNA” lab by extracting DNA from your cheek cells
Complete the sheets to go along with it
Time: 45 minutes

45. Activity 2 Class discussion: Time: 15 minutes Test next lesson
How have advances in biotechnology been used in real-life applications?
What are the ethical issues that surround DNA information?
Time: 15 minutes
Test next lesson

46. Day 9
Test
Chapters 14, 15

47. Day 10 Required Readings Bozeman Videos Chapter 16, 17
DNA and RNA part 1 and 2
Mutations

48. Learning Objectives
Justify the selection of data rom historical investigations that support the claim that DNA is the source of heritable information
Construct scientific explanations that use the structures and mechanisms of DNA and RNA to support the claim that DNA and, in some cases, RNA are the primary sources of heritable information
Describe representations and models illustrating how genetic information is translated into polypeptides
Create visual representations to illustrate how changes in DNA nucleotide sequences can result in a change in the polypeptide produced

49. Activity 1
Create a timeline that shows the important milestones in the identification of DNA as genetic material
Griffith, Hershey, Chase, Watson & Crick should appear in the timeline
Include what you think is still to come in advances in DNA use and biotechnology according to what is still unanswered about DNA
Time: 15 minutes

50. Activity 2 How is DNA the heritable source of genetic information?
Create a diagram that shows what DNA, where it is, and how it is replicated and transferred to offspring
Think: Replication and transcription – what happens in these stages?
I have some velcro models that you can use as well
Time: 25 minutes

51. Activity 3 Play the Messenger RNA game
As you play, think about how proteins are made during the translation process.
What is a mutation and how does it happen?
How can a mutation affect the gene that is meant to be expressed?
Video: The Genetic Code and Its Translation
Time: 20 minutes

52. Activity 4 DNA Workshop Go to the library to the site:
Justify the role of DNA replication being the starting point for protein synthesis
Manipulate the online models to create representations of DNA replication, transcription and translation
Time: 30 minutes

53. Day 11 Bozeman Videos: Required Readings: Investigation 9
Investigation 9: Biotechnology: Restriction Enzyme Analysis of DNA
Chapter 19: Restriction enzymes (pg ; 398)

54. Learning Objectives
Justify the claim that humans can manipulate heritable information by identifying at least 2 commonly used technologies
Pose questions about ethical, social, or medical issues surrounding human genetic disorders (genetic engineering)

55. Activity 1 Read through Activity 1 and answer question 1 & 2
Time: 15 minutes

56. Activity 2
Read through activity 3. We will not be completing the activity, but I have prepared gels to use
Complete table 1 on S121
Complete #3 & 4 on S122
Time: 30 minutes

57. Activity 3
Create a “big picture” diagram/model showing the different stages involved in DNA replication, transcription and translation
Include important enzymes and the outcomes of the different stages
What happens if there is an error in the process?

58. Closing Activity
Quiz!
Time: 10 minutes

59. Day 12 (60 minutes) Required Readings: Bozeman Videos: Chapter 18, 19
Viruses
Viral Replication

60. Learning Objectives
Describe the connection between the regulation of gene expression and observed differences between different kinds of organisms
Describe the connection between the regulation of gene expression and observed differences between individuals in a population
Explain how the regulation of gene expression is essential for the processes and structures that support efficient cell function
Use representations to describe how gene regulation influences cell products and function

61. Activity 1
Use a diagram to show how both positive and negative control mechanisms regulate gene expression in bacteria and viruses
Include:
The function of an inducer/repressor
The function of regulatory proteins
How genes are always turned “on”
A specific example
Time: 20 minutes

62. Activity 2
Create a visual representation for how gene expression is accomplished in eukaryotes
Include:
How regulatory genes, regulatory elements and transcription factors act in concert
The role of activators and repressors
How is the amount of the gene product produced determined?
Time: 20 minutes

63. Activity 3 What is the role of homeotic genes?
Create a story board that shows the development of a eukaryotic organism and the role of homeotic genes
Explain how two organisms with similar genes (i.e. the same species) can have vast phenotypic differences
Time: 15 minutes

64. Closing Activity
Quiz!
Time: 10 minutes

65. Day 13 Required Readings: Bozeman Videos: Chapter 18, 19 Viruses
Viral Replication

66. Learning Objectives
Construct an explanation of how viruses introduce genetic variation in host organisms
Use representations and models to describe how viral replication introduces genetic variation in the viral population

67. Activity 1 Is a virus living or not?
Discuss this question with the class and justify your answer with regards to:
What it is composed of
How does it replicate?
The different cycles it goes through (lytic vs. lysogenic)
What effect mutations have on a virus
Time: 20 minutes

68. Activity 2 Use this time to work with a partner and research a virus
Handout provided with instructions
Time: 60 minutes

69. Closing Activity
Quiz
Time: 10 minutes

70. Day 14 (60 minutes)
Test
Chapter16, 17, 18, 19

71. Day 15 Required Readings: Bozeman Videos: Chapter 20, 21
Molecular Biology

72. Day 16
Required Readings:
Chapter 20, 21

73. Day 17 Required Readings: Bozeman Videos: Chapter 18
Signal Transmission and Gene Expression
Gene Regulation
Genotype Expression

74. Activity 1 Watch the video “Ghost in Your Genes”
Write down questions you have as you watch the video
Write down interesting things that you learn as you watch the video
Time: 65 minutes

75. Day 18 Required Readings: Bozeman Videos:
Investigation 8: Biotechnology: Bacterial Transformation
Bozeman Videos:
Investigation 8

76. Day 19 (60 minutes)
Gattaca

77. Day 20
Gattaca (Cont’d)

78. Day 21
Required Readings:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

79. Day 22
Review for Final Exam (Chapters 12-21)

80. Exam: December 13 Cumulative exam for Big Idea 2 and Big Idea 3
90 minutes
Section 1: Multiple Choice
Section 2: Free Response Questions