Master Class Genetics

This master class will be led by two experts, dr Bas Heijmans (molecular genetics), from the Leiden University Medical Centre, and prof Matthijs Verhage (functional genomics), from the Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, CNCR VU University Amsterdam.
In the first hour, basic molecular knowledge of the human genome will be presented, including gene structure and function. Also, an introduction is given on heritability, human linkage and association analysis to detect and confirm candidate genes.
In the second hour, functional annotation of promising candidate genes through microarrays, brain expression analysis, and transgenic animal models is discussed.

1. Molecular Genetics Bas Heijmans, LUMC (13.00-14.00)

- Types of genetic variation (SNPs, STRs, CNVs)
- Biological effects of genetic variation
- Linkage disequilibrium
- Study designs to find disease genes: linkage and association
- Principles of analysing genetic studies
- Candidate genes vs. genome-wide association
- From SNP to biology (genome browsers)

Break (30 mins)

2. Functional Gene Annotation Matthijs verhage, CNCR (14.30-15.30)

- Effects of genetic variants on gene-expression - Micro-arrays
- Gene-expression in the brain - post-mortem expression analysis
- Effects of genetic variants on gene-function - cell lines, transgenics