BIOENERGETICA MOLECOLARE

To deliver an integrated view of mitochondrial bioenergetics, with a special focus on the molecular traits. The study of the 3-D structures and the analysis of the sequences will be a main part of the course.

This course will be organized as a sequence of seminars. Ex-cathedra lectures will be delivered as introduction to each chapter, while next lectures will be based on the reports and presentations by the students about the studied literature. At the end of the course a whole report containing the contributions by all the students will be collected.

Energy production in the organism: role of mitochondria.

Nutrition and energy production and utilization.

The energetic balance in the living organisms.

Molecular mechanisms of bioenergetic molecules production in mitochondria.

Phosphox: machinery. Rationale and structural biology.

Bio-molecular metabolism in mitochondria.

Coordination between nuclear and mitochondrial genomes.

Mitochondria as a dynamic organelle.

Genetics and heredity of mitochondria.

Mitochondrial pathologies.

Nichols DG, Ferguson S - Bioenergetics 4th ed 2014 Academic Press editor

This is the only textbook of Bioenergetics available. There are chapters dealing with this topic in every Biochemistry book, that can be considered an useful basis.

Other material will be available to students on the official website STUDIUM.