ECTS credits ECTS credits: 4.5
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Hours of tutorials: 1 Expository Class: 26 Interactive Classroom: 14 Total: 41
Use languages Spanish, Galician
Type: Ordinary Degree Subject RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Areas: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Center Faculty of Biology
Call: Second Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable
• To understand the basic concepts, terminology, and methodology of Genetic Engineering.
• To comprehend the various applications of Genetic Engineering in fields like Biomedicine and Biotechnology.
• To handle specialized bibliography and present works related to Genetic Engineering.
The in-person activities of the course include lectures (26h), interactive seminars (6h), laboratory practices (8h), classroom tutorials (2h), and a final exam.
• LECTURES
TOPIC 1. INTRODUCTION TO GENETIC ENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY. (1h)
TOPIC 2. ENZYMOLOGY OF RECOMBINANT DNA. PURIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF NUCLEIC ACIDS. (4h)
TOPIC 3. NUCLEIC ACID HYBRIDIZATION. (2h)
TOPIC 4. PCR. (2h)
TOPIC 5. DNA CLONING IN E. coli. (4h)
TOPIC 6. GENOMIC LIBRARIES AND MICROARRAYS. (1h)
TOPIC 7. DNA SEQUENCING. (2h)
TOPIC 8. SITE-DIRECTED MUTAGENESIS AND PROTEIN ENGINEERING. (2h)
TOPIC 9. EXPRESSION OF RECOMBINANT PROTEINS IN E. coli. (2h)
TOPIC 10. GENETIC ENGINEERING IN YEASTS. (1h)
TOPIC 11. GENE EXPRESSION CONTROL AND GENE EDITING (3h)
TOPIC 12. GENETIC ENGINEERING IN ANIMALS AND PLANTS. APPLICATIONS. (2h)
• SEMINARS
Seminars 1 and 2. Basic calculations and problems on nucleic acid manipulations. (2h)
Seminars 3 and 4. PCR primer design and problems on PCR. (2h)
Seminars 5 and 6. Cloning and site-directed mutagenesis simulations using specific software. (2h)
• LABORATORY PRACTICES
In the laboratory sessions, a project will be carried out to clone a promoter into a plasmid carrying a reporter gene.
PRACTICAL 1. Preparation of DNA fragments for the vector and insert (3h).
PRACTICAL 2. Ligation between vector and insert and bacterial transformation (2.5h).
PRACTICAL 3. Plasmid purification from transformed bacterial cultures and analysis using restriction enzymes. Results analysis (2.5h).
• TUTORÍAS
Las tutorías de aula se emplearán específicamente para la resolución de dudas relacionadas con los distintos contenidos de la materia. (1h)
• EXAMEN
El examen contendrá distintos tipos de preguntas relacionadas con cualquiera de las actividades realizadas durante el transcurso de la materia. (3h)
Basic bibliography
-Brown, T.A., 2016. Gene cloning and DNA analysis: An Introduction. 7th ed. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. (Available at the Biology School libray)
- Nicholl, D.S.T. 2023. An introduction to Genetic Engineering, 4th edition. Cambridge University Press. (Available at Intercentros Library)
-Real García, M.D., Rausell Segarra, C. y Latorre Castillo, A., 2017. Técnicas de ingeniería genética. Madrid: Síntesis. (Available at: https://prelo.usc.es/Record/Xebook1-9675)
Complementary bibliography
-Clark, D.P, 2019. Molecular Biology. [en liña] 3rd ed. Amsterdam: Elsevier. (Available at the Biology School libray)
-Clark, D.P. and Pazdernik, N.J., 2016. Biotechnology. [en liña] 2nd ed. Amsterdam: Elsevier Academic Press. (Available at the Biology School libray)
-Glick, B.R. and Patten, C.L., 2017. Molecular biotechnology: principies and applications of recombinant DNA. 5th ed. Washington DC: ASM Press. (Available at the Biology School libray)
-Green, M.R. and Sambrook, J., 2012. Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual. 4th ed. 3 v. Cold Spring Harbor: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. (Available at the Biology School libray)
-Renneberg, R., Berkling, V., and Loroch, V., 2016. Biotechnology for beginners [en liña]. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Available at: https://www-sciencedirect- com.ezbusc.usc.gal/book/9780128012246/biotechnology-for-beginners
Other resources
http://biomodel.uah.es. Website at Universidad Alcalá de Henares
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/guide/. The National Center for Biotechnology Information, (NCBI) Main database for genomic resources (nucleotides, genes and genomes) and bioinformatic tools.
https://www.jove.com/science-education-library. Educational videos about different techniques in molecular biology and genetic engineering.
BUSC electronic resources: Cell, Nature, Science, Sciencedirect, etc.
• Knowledge/contents: Con01, Con06, Con09.
• Skills: H/D01, H/D02, H/D03, H/D04, H/D07, H/D08, H/D09, H/D10, H/D11.
• Competences: Com01, Comp02, Comp03, Comp04, Comp05, Comp06, Comp07
In the section CONTENTS OF THE SUBJECT, the approximate durations of the different in-person activities for students in the classroom or laboratory are indicated.
The lectures will be in the format of master classes presented by the responsible professor, attendance is not mandatory for students, and will last approximately 50 min. In addition to the blackboard, audiovisual presentations will be used and will be available in the virtual course of the subject, making it easier to follow the content. In the classes, students can interrupt the professor's explanations with questions or doubts, and the professor can ask questions, request student participation in the discussion and presentation of the content, and require the search for information to be delivered in the next class. The theoretical classes will require daily follow-up and dedication (both in and out of the classroom) as the professor will present the basic aspects of the subject, which must be further explored through the use of bibliography and study. Generally, all the competencies and specific objectives of the subject will be worked on by interrelating the content and concepts of the subject and familiarizing with and handling the main bibliographic sources in the field of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, allowing students to follow and deepen the information received in the classroom.
The laboratory sessions will consist of three mandatory sessions (except for repeat students who have already passed them) held in the lab. Attendance to the lab sessions is 100% compulsory (an attendance sheet will be used). The sessions will involve carrying out (and reviewing the materials provided by the teaching staff on the Virtual Campus) some of the basic techniques in Genetic Engineering and will serve to reinforce and observe the real-life application of the theoretical content covered in lectures. Students must complete reports or questionnaires related to the lab sessions, which will be graded by the responsible instructor as part of the continuous assessment.
Tutorials are not mandatory and will be used to address questions related to the other contents of the course.
The assessment will consist of two parts: continuous assessment and final exam:
Continuous Assessment (30% of the final grade), which is composed of:
• Seminars (20% of the final grade). NON-MANDATORY ASSESSABLE ACTIVITY. The assessment will be based on the exercises/assignments submitted to the professor or completed during the seminars. At least three evaluable tasks will be carried out over the 6 seminars.
• Laboratory practices (10% of the final grade). MANDATORY ASSESSABLE ACTIVITY. 100% attendance to the lab sessions is required to obtain a PASS grade, which is necessary to pass the course. Assessment will be based on the final report and/or questions related to the explained protocols. Unjustified absences or failure to submit the required tasks will result in a FAIL grade. Students must achieve a grade higher than 4 (out of 10) in the practicals to pass the course. Attendance will be monitored through a signature sheet.
Final Exam (70% of the final grade). MANDATORY EVALUABLE ACTIVITY COMPLEMENTARY TO CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT. It will be carried out in person and will consist of an exam with multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions, and exercises related to the theoretical and practical content of the subject. The grade will be obtained by weighting the final exam score (a minimum score of 4 out of 10 points is necessary to perform the weighting) with the continuous assessment. If the minimum score is not achieved in the final exam, the final grade in the subject will be exclusively the weighted score of the exam.
Students who do not pass the subject in the regular opportunity can take the final exam in the recovery opportunity (2nd opportunity). The continuous assessment score will be retained for the recovery opportunity. Students who fail the practices must take a specific recovery exam.
Students who fail the subject but have passed the laboratory practices will retain that grade for the following year. Repeat students will have the same attendance requirements for interactive classes (except for practices) and the same assessment system as those enrolled for the first time.
In the case of students who have been granted exemption from in-person activities, an alternative assessment system will be considered on an individual basis.
Assessment of learning outcomes:
• Exam: Con01, Con06, Con09, H/D01, H/D03, H/D07, H/D08, H/D11, Comp01, Comp02, Comp06
• Seminar assignments/exercises: Con01, Con06, Con09, H/D01, H/D04, H/D07, H/D08, H/D09, H/D10, H/D11, Comp03, Comp06
• Practices: H/D02, H/D10, H/D11, Comp04, Comp05, Comp07
For cases of fraudulent completion of exercises or tests, the provisions of the Regulation on the evaluation of student academic performance and grade review will apply.
IN CLASSROOM WORK (Total: 43h)
Lectures: 26h
Laboratory: 8h
Seminars: 6h
Tutoring in small groups: 1h
Examinations: 2h
STUDENT'S PERSONAL WORK (Total: 69.5 h)
Individual Study: 49h
Development of practice reports and theoretical/practical questionnaires: 7h
Development of group work: 13.5 h
The most important recommendation is regular attendance, active participation in classes, and completion of the assigned tasks. Keeping up with the course material, reflecting on the concepts explained, and trying to delve deeper into them will help you master the subject.
In written exams, it is crucial to read the questions carefully, interpret the logic of the results or answers, use precise and rigorous language, and review your responses.
Although not mandatory, it is highly recommended to attend and prepare well for the seminars, completing any assessable tasks they include. Seminars not only constitute a significant part of the final evaluation but also allow you to review the lecture material, and their content is also subject to examination.
Remember to use the tutorial sessions and contact the teaching staff to resolve any doubts and problems that arise during your study of the subject and to monitor your learning progress.
To make the most of this subject, it is important to have a solid foundation in courses such as Biochemistry I, Molecular Biology, and Genetics I and II.
There will be an active virtual classroom for this subject through USC's Virtual Campus. Besides accessing the course content, you should use your institutional email, the MS-Teams platform, or messages through the Virtual Campus forum to contact the responsible teaching staff.
Plagiarism and Misuse of Technology
USC has specific regulations and procedures for handling cases of plagiarism or misuse of technology during assessments. Cases of cheating, plagiarism, using electronic devices to consult unauthorized information, or other forms of academic fraud will be sanctioned according to current regulations.
Miguel González Blanco
Coordinador/a- Department
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Area
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Phone
- 881815386
- miguel.gonzalez.blanco [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Lecturer
| Wednesday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00-10:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | Classroom 06. Diane Fosey and Jane Goodall |
| Thursday | |||
| 09:00-10:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | Classroom 06. Diane Fosey and Jane Goodall |
| Friday | |||
| 09:00-10:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | Classroom 06. Diane Fosey and Jane Goodall |
| 06.03.2026 10:00-14:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom 01. Charles Darwin |
| 06.03.2026 10:00-14:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom 02. Gregor Mendel |
| 07.09.2026 10:00-14:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom 04: James Watson and Francis Crick |