Course Identification

Student should hold an undergraduate degree in Life Sciences

RNA emerges in recent years as a dominant mechanism for regulation of biological processes at all levels. The aim of this course is to explore advanced topics in RNA-based regulation. The course will discuss mechanisms such as microRNA, alternative splicing, RNA editing and nonsense mediated RNA decay. A strong focus will be put on microRNA biochemistry, target selection and developmental impact. We will also discuss small RNA based regulation in prokaryotes including riboswitches, sRNA, and CRISPR.

1. Alternative splicing
2. Alternative splicing regulation
3. Nonsense mediated RNA decay
4. RNA editing
5. microRNA - introduction
6. Posttranscriptional processing of microRNA
7. microRNA:target pairing and RISC function
8. miRNA target genomics
9. microRNA function in vertebrate development
10. On miRNA in plants
11. OncomiRs and tumor suppressor miRNAs
12. lincRNAs
13. Bacterial ncRNAs and riboswitches
14. CRISPRs

Exercises:

1. Bioinformatic discovery of miRNA genes
2. How to Scan and Pick Targets
3. A case study of miRNA in development
4. A case study of miRNA function in human disease
5. Alternative splicing analysis
6. Computational approaches to characterization of non-coding RNA in bacteria

Upon successful completion of this course students should be be able to:

1. Understand the multiple layers of RNA regulation including microRNAs, alternative splicing, riboswitches etc.
2. Demonstrate proficiency in the recent literature in the filed.
3. Incorporate RNA studies into his/her own research.