The course is organized into four major sections:
1) MENDELIAN GENETICS
2) MOLECULAR GENETICS
3) MUTATIONS
4) IN-DEPTH INFORMATION concerning:
a) some applications of Molecular methodologies for varietal identification and traceability in agri-food chains;
b) some aspects related to the origin, phylogeny and evolution of grapevine and the cultivated wheats.

MENDELIAN GENETICS
- Mendel's principles
Monohybrid crosses: the principles of dominance and segregation; dihybrid crosses: the principle of independent assortment.
- Chi square test.
- Extension of Mendel's principles: partial dominance, codominance, multiple alleles, epistasis, genetic linkage, pleiotropy.
- Mitosis and meiosis, chromosome theory of inheritance.

MOLECULAR GENETICS
- Structures of DNA and RNA, the organization of DNA in chromosomes: virus, prokaryotes and eukaryotes .
- The central dogma of molecular biology: replication, transcription and translation, the genetic code.
- Gene structure and regulation.

MUTATIONS
- Gene mutations.
- Genomic mutations.
- Polyploidy.

IN-DEPTH INFORMATION
Molecular methodologies
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
- Molecular markers and their use in varietal identification and traceability in agri-food chains.

Origin and evolution of the gravine and main plants of food interest
- Origin of the grapevine and genetic variability of grapevine varieties
- Modern varieties resistant to the main fungal diseases of the grapevine such as powdery mildew and downy mildew
- Origin and evolution of cultivated wheat
- Ancient and modern grains: classification and meaning and main differences on the agronomic, nutritional, health and technological level.

Notes and slides of the lectures provided by the teacher.
Textbook: Lorenzetti F., Ceccarelli S., Rosellini D., Veronesi F.
Genetica agraria, Patron 2011

Additional books for Molecular Genetics

Peter J. Russel. Genetica. Un approccio molecolare. Ed. Pearson, 2014.
Peter J. Russel. iGenetica, Edises 2007.
Snustad P.D., Simmons M.J. Principi di genetica, Edises 2014.