Exam 2

Tuesday April 22 in class

For each poster session you must answer the following for ONE paper.

If you get all of them correct then you will receive 100% credit.

You can also obtain extra credit by answering the same questions for the other paper in the poster session.

For instance, if you presented Verdel et al. then you could answer the questions concerning that paper. Then you could also answer the same questions for Volpe et al as extra credit.

1.The papers that you studied all described how a cell or animal does something. You might think of these as points that the authors wished to make or as a made discoveries that the authors made.

I would like you to describe in detail the key experiment used to demonstrate this point or discovery. You must choose the experiment carefully. It is obvious that the other experiments in the paper also make contributions. Here I am asking you to choose the key experiment.

Describe everything in words. Don't forget controls (because experiments can rarely be understood without their controls.) Describe the conclusions drawn.

2.Describe a technique used in the paper. In general I expect that for each paper you will describe a different technique. It may save you time if the technique is the same one that appears in #1. However, it may also be a different technique than that used in #1.

Exam 1

Monday February 3 at 5:00 to 6:30 pm

Room is: WAG 420

Help sheet for exam 1 2014.pdf

Here is Help sheet 2 for exam 1 2014.

Please consider this in conjunction with the previous help sheet.

Why is the term isoschizomer important with regard to CpG methylation?

The chromatin immunoprecipitation assay has revolutionized the field of epigenetics - in fact in may have helped create it. You should consider whether you really understand it.

The other thing that made so much of the field possible was a chemical reaction that is generically-called the bisulfite reaction. Ask yourself if you understand it will.

To understand epigenetics you need an understanding of how core promoters work and how their activity can be modulated. You also need to understand how histones modifications can affect their activity.