By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe how changes to gene expression can cause cancerExplain how changes to gene expression at different levels can disrupt the cell cycleDiscuss how understanding regulation of gene expression can lead to better drug design

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Explain the process of epigenetic regulationDescribe how access to DNA is controlled by histone modification

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Understand RNA splicing and explain its role in regulating gene expressionDescribe the importance of RNA stability in gene regulation

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Discuss the role of transcription factors in gene regulationExplain how enhancers and repressors regulate gene expression

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Understand the process of translation and discuss its key factorsDescribe how the initiation complex controls translationExplain the different ways in which the post-translational control of gene expression takes place

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the steps involved in prokaryotic gene regulationExplain the roles of activators, inducers, and repressors in gene regulation

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Discuss why every cell does not express all of its genesDescribe how prokaryotic gene regulation occurs at the transcriptional levelDiscuss how eukaryotic gene regulation occurs at the epigenetic, transcriptional, post-transcriptional, translational, and post-translational levels

By the end of this section, you will be able to:List the steps in eukaryotic transcriptionDiscuss the role of RNA polymerases in transcriptionCompare and contrast the three RNA polymerasesExplain the significance of transcription factors

By the end of this section, you will be able to:List the different steps in prokaryotic transcriptionDiscuss the role of promoters in prokaryotic transcriptionDescribe how and when transcription is terminated

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the different steps in RNA processingUnderstand the significance of exons, introns, and splicingExplain how tRNAs and rRNAs are processed

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the different steps in protein synthesisDiscuss the role of ribosomes in protein synthesis

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Explain the “central dogma” of protein synthesisDescribe the genetic code and how the nucleotide sequence prescribes the amino acid and the protein sequence

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Explain that meiosis and sexual reproduction are evolved traitsIdentify variation among offspring as a potential evolutionary advantage to sexual reproductionDescribe the three different life-cycle types among sexual multicellular organisms and their commonalities

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the behavior of chromosomes during meiosisDescribe cellular events during meiosisExplain the differences between meiosis and mitosisExplain the mechanisms within meiosis that generate genetic variation among the products of meiosis

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Explain the relationship between genotypes and phenotypes in dominant and recessive gene systemsDevelop a Punnett square to calculate the expected proportions of genotypes and phenotypes in a monohybrid crossExplain the purpose and methods of a test crossIdentify non-Mendelian inheritance patterns such as incomplete dominance, codominance, recessive lethals, multiple alleles, and sex linkage