The students will have the opportunity to actively experience all stages of the development of a research project in the field of the evolutionary genetics and genomics at first hand. The instructor will provide ideas/hypotheses for a research and together with the students, they will develop the concept and an appropriate experimental design. Then, the students will perform the necessary experiments, the subsequent data analyses and they will interpret the results. During this process, the student will receive mini-tutorials on methods, as well as protocols and instructions to perform experiments in both the wet and dry lab. At the end of the course, the students will have obtained not only skills how to perform crucial experimental procedures, but also a wide overview on design and execution of an experimental research project.
Last update: Rovatsos Michail, Ph.D. (21.01.2026)
Studenti budou mít možnost aktivně se podílet na všech fázích vývoje výzkumného projektu v oblasti evoluční
genetiky a genomiky. Instruktor poskytne nápady / hypotézy pro výzkum a společně se studenty vytvoří koncepci
řešení a vhodný experimentální design. Poté studenti provedou potřebné experimenty, následné analýzy dat a
interpretaci výsledků. Během tohoto procesu obdrží mini-přednášky o metodách a protokolech a pokyny k
provádění experimentů v mokré i suché laboratorní praxi. Na konci kurzu budou mít studenti nejen dovednosti, jak
provádět klíčové experimentální postupy, ale také široký přehled o realizaci experimentálního výzkumného projektu.
Last update: Sacherová Veronika, RNDr., Ph.D. (18.05.2020)
Course completion requirements -
Attendance of at least 4 out of 5 days and performing the experiments.
Last update: Sacherová Veronika, RNDr., Ph.D. (18.05.2020)
Aktivní účast na aspoň 4 z 5 dnů kurzu.
Last update: Sacherová Veronika, RNDr., Ph.D. (18.05.2020)
Literature -
Protocols and literature will be provided by the instructor. Relevant information can be found in publications such as:
Rovatsos M., Rehák I., Velenský P., Kratochvíl L. (2019). Shared ancient sex chromosomes in varanids, beaded lizards, and alligator lizards. Molecular Biology and Evolution 36: 1113-1120.
Rovatsos M., Altmanová M., Augstenová B., Mazzoleni S., Velenský P., Kratochvíl L. (2019). ZZ/ZW sex determination with multiple neo-sex chromosomes is common in Madagascan chameleons of the genus Furcifer (Reptilia: Chamaeleonidae). Genes 10: 1020.
Rovatsos M., Kratochvíl L. (2017). Molecular sexing applicable in 4.000 species of lizards and snakes? From dream to real possibility. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 8: 902-906.
And other resources like Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Nature Protocols and Bioinformatics
Last update: Sacherová Veronika, RNDr., Ph.D. (18.05.2020)
Protokoly a další literaturu poskytne instruktor. Relevantní informace lze nalézt v publikacích jako jsou:
Rovatsos M., Rehák I., Velenský P., Kratochvíl L. (2019). Shared ancient sex chromosomes in varanids, beaded lizards, and alligator lizards. Molecular Biology and Evolution 36: 1113-1120.
Rovatsos M., Altmanová M., Augstenová B., Mazzoleni S., Velenský P., Kratochvíl L. (2019). ZZ/ZW sex determination with multiple neo-sex chromosomes is common in Madagascan chameleons of the genus Furcifer (Reptilia: Chamaeleonidae). Genes 10: 1020.
Rovatsos M., Kratochvíl L. (2017). Molecular sexing applicable in 4.000 species of lizards and snakes? From dream to real possibility. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 8: 902-906.
a dalších zdrojích jako časopisy Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Nature Protocols a Bioinformatics.
Last update: Sacherová Veronika, RNDr., Ph.D. (18.05.2020)
Requirements to the exam -
Attend and perform the planned experiments for at least 4 out of 5 days.
Last update: Rovatsos Michail, Ph.D. (21.01.2026)
Aktivní účast na aspoň 4 z 5 dnů kurzu.
Last update: Sacherová Veronika, RNDr., Ph.D. (18.05.2020)
Syllabus -
The course will include several mini presentations on experimental design and methodology. The instructor intends to develop the project and further enrich the methodologies according to the interests of the students, as far as such additions are fitting the topic and the time schedule of the course and the equipment restrictions of the available laboratories. The students will be trained and perform the following methods during the course: 1. DNA isolation, quality control 2. Primer design, PCR, Sanger sequencing analysis, taxon identification from genomic data 3. Identification of sex by PCR 4. Cytogenetic analysis: chromosome preparation, in situ hybridization with satellite sequences (FISH), Comparative genome hybridization (CGH), microscopy 5. Basic analysis of next generation sequencing data (mtDNA assembly and annotation) in Windows PC environment. Previous experience in experimental biology or bioinformatics is not required.
Last update: Rovatsos Michail, Ph.D. (21.01.2026)
Kurz bude zahrnovat několik mini-přednášek o experimentálním designu a metodikách. Lektor má v úmyslu rozvinout projekt a obohatit metodiky podle zájmů studentů, pokud jejich návrhy budou odpovídat tématu a časovému harmonogramu kurzu a omezením vybavení dostupných laboratoří. V průběhu kurzu budou studenti proškoleni a naučí se následující metody:
1. Izolace DNA, kontrola kvality vyizolované DNA
2. Návrh primerů, PCR, Sangerovo sekvenování, identifikace taxonu z genetický dat
3. Identifikace pohlaví a měření délky telomer pomocí kvantitativní polymerázové řetězové reakce (qPCR)
4. Cytogenetická analýza: příprava chromosomů, rekonstrukce karyotypu, hybridizace in situ se satelitními sekvencemi (FISH), komparativní genomová hybridizace (CGH), mikroskopie
5. Základní analýza sekvenčních dat nové generace (sestavení a anotace mtDNA, identifikace lokusů spojených s pohlavím) v PC prostředí Windows.
Předchozí zkušenost v experimentální biologii nebo bioinformatice není nutná.
Last update: Sacherová Veronika, RNDr., Ph.D. (18.05.2020)
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, the student will be able to:
KNOWLEDGE
Understand principles of experimental design in molecular and genomic studies, including hypothesis formulation and methodological choice.
Describe the molecular and cytogenetic techniques used to study genetic variation, sex determination, and genome structure.
Understand the basic principles of methods used in the project: PCR-based methods, Sanger sequencing, Illumina sequencing, cytogenetics (cell cultures, preparation of chromosome spreads, in situ hybridization), optical and fluorescence microscopy.
Explain the structure, generation, and biological interpretation of genomic datasets, including mitochondrial and sex-linked data.
Understand limitations, sources of error, and quality control measures in both wet-lab and dry-lab genomic analyses.
SKILLS
Design and execute a small-scale research project in evolutionary genetics or genomics.
Perform core laboratory techniques, including DNA isolation, PCR, qPCR, sequencing analysis, and cytogenetic procedures.
Apply basic bioinformatic workflows for the analysis of genomic data, including assembly and annotation of mitogenomes.
Analyze experimental data using appropriate analytical tools and interpret results in an evolutionary and biological context.
Document experimental procedures, results, and analyses in a clear and reproducible manner.
COMPETENCES
Contribute to the planning, execution, and evaluation of experimental research in evolutionary genetics and genomics.
Critically assess methodological choices and adapt experimental strategies to practical constraints (time, equipment, data quality).
Collaborate effectively in a research team, sharing responsibility for experimental tasks and collective problem-solving.
Communicate research objectives, methods, and findings clearly to relevant audiences.
Demonstrate scientific integrity, including proper data handling, documentation, and interpretation of results.
