Human Population Genetics

The course on “Human Population Genetics” is a Discipline Specific Elective Course in Anthropology at undergraduate (UG) level under the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) of UGC having 4 credits. This is an introductory course designed primarily for students in the undergraduate or master’s programs interested in biomedical research, genetic counselling, medicine, and clinical genetics. This course is expected introduce the rapid advancements in our understanding the role of human population genetics in health and disease. The course is specially designed to supplement and enhance the understanding of students about different dimensions of human population genetics starting from Mendals laws to genetic polymorphism, mutations in genes to linkage, to evolutionary genetics to evolution of humans, The MOOC content will also shed light on the Population genetics and disease association, genetic markers in forensic science, Hardy Weinberg law, Multiple Allelism, codominance, Epistasis, migration, selection, genetic variance and Human ape comparisons This MOOC is designed to help you to learn about the fundamental bases of population and evolutionary genetics, understanding of the demographic history of our species, including how modern human populations have dispersed around the globe, how population sizes have changed over time and the extent to which they have admixed. This will provide you a basic knowledge on population genetics, the study of human migrations and human adaptation to extreme conditions. Further you will be able to discover the genetic diversity of our species, its causes and consequences, to identify how humans have adapted to the great diversity of environments and the importance of the Neanderthal genome in our genetic heritage.This MOOC is aimed at anyone who wishes to learn more about Population genetics and human evolution. It is of particular interest for students working in the field of biomedical sciences, genomics, anthropology, genetics, Zoology, Biotechnology, Evolutionary Biology etc. Once this course, is completed by a student he/she will be equipped with basic and classical knowledge of human population genetics, classical and advanced genetics and will be able to take up any advanced post graduate programmes based on genetics such as medical genetics, developmental and behavioural genetics, bioinformatics, environmental genetics, genomics etc.

Week-1

Landmarks in the history of genetics

Principles in human genetics

Single locus (Mendelian) versus multi-locus (quantitative/complex) inheritance

Chromosome theory of inheritance (segregation and independent assortment)

Week-2

Mendelian Inheritance Single factor and multifactorial inheritance, polygenic inheritance),

Non- Mendelian inheritance (Multiple Allelism, Co-dominance and incomplete dominance”

Sex linked, epistasis; penetrance and expressivity;

Cytoplasmic inheritance

Week-3

Introduction to Ecological Genetics and Polymorphism

Phenotypic & genotypic polymorphisms

Transient polymorphism

Balanced polymorphisms

Week-4

Models explaining the maintenance of genetic polymorphism

Relationship between sickle cell and malaria,

X-linked polymorphism,

Selection due to infectious diseases and its association with blood groups and other

Hardy-Weinberg principle

Week-5

Genotypic and allelic frequencies

Assumptions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium

Its applications and exception

Mechanism for dynamics in Gene Frequency

Week-6

Mutation

Selection pattern and mechanism

Genetic drift (bottle neck and founder effect),

Gene flow/migration

Week-7

Inbreeding (inbreeding co-efficient and its genetic consequences)

Population structure and admixture in human populations

Random & non-random mating (positive and negative assortative mating),

Heritability

Week-8

Linkage disequilibrium

Genetic markers utility of genetic markers in forensic,

Population and disease association studies

Human evolutionary genetics

Week-9

From Mendel to molecules

A brief history of evolutionary genetics

Epistasis and the conversion of genetic variances

Human-Ape comparisons

Week-10

Blood group typing

Colour blindness

Biochemical markers-DNA isolation

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Week-11

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency

PTC tasting ability

Genetic counselling and human population genetics

Human population genetics and Forensics

Week-12

Assignment’s compilation

Examination