9795443 - SCIENZE BIOMEDICHE
Module BIOLOGIA APPLICATA
Expected Learning Outcomes
The course aims to give the student an integrated view of the basic cellular processes that regulate the activities of living organisms. The student will have to know the mechanisms of cellular differentiation, the modalities and the molecular basis of the transmission of characters, the mechanisms of replication, translation and modification of genetic information. At the end of the course the student must be able to demonstrate the acquisition of the biological and molecular knowledge necessary to understand the function of eukaryotic cells in both physiological and pathological conditions.
Course Structure
The course includes lectures and exercises in the laboratory of cellular and molecular biology. If the teaching is given in mixed or distance learning mode, the necessary variations may be introduced with respect to what has been declared, in order to respect the program envisaged and reported in the syllabus.
Required Prerequisites
Knowledge on the main cellular processes.
Attendance of Lessons
Detailed Course Content
The
general characteristics of living matter. Chemical composition of living
matter. Cell theory.
THE
BASES OF THE BIOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION - Classification of organisms. Structure
and function of eukaryotic cells (plasma membrane, nucleus, nucleolus,
nucleoplasm, endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, mitochondria, Golgi complex,
lysosomes, peroxisomes, cytoskeleton) and prokaryotic cells.
NUCLEIC
ACIDS - structure and function of DNA and RNA.
STRUCTURE
AND FUNCTION OF THE GENE - Gene structure in eukaryotes: function of promoters,
exons and introns.
DUPLICATION
OF DNA - Model of semiconservative replication. General characteristics of DNA duplication:
DNA polymerases, topoisomerases, the replication bubble, Okazaki fragments, "proofreading".
RNA
TRANSCRIPTION AND MATURATION - Dogma of molecular biology. General
characteristics of the transcription. Transcription in eukaryotes: assembly of
the pre-initiation complex, end of transcription. Mechanisms
of mRNA maturation: capping, polyA tail, splicing.
PROTEIN
SYNTHESIS - The properties of the genetic code. The translation apparatus:
structure and function
of ribosomes and tRNAs. Beginning of the translation. Elongation. Termination.
MYTHOSIS AND MEIOSIS - Genetic significance
of meiosis.
MENDELIAN GENETICS
Textbook Information
Elementi di Biologia e Genetica. P. Bonaldo et al. EDISES
Essenziale di Biologia molecolare della Cellula – Alberts, Bray, Hopkin et al. Zanichelli
Elementi di Biologia e Genetica - Sadava, Hillis, Heller, Hacker - Zanichelli
Elementi di Biologia - Curtis, Barnes, Schnek Massarini – Zanichelli
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macromolecules. Nucleic Acids | All |
| 2 | Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic cells | All |
| 3 | Eukaryotic genome | All |
| 4 | DNA synthesis | All |
| 5 | Transcription and RNA maturation | All |
| 6 | Genetic code. Protein Synthesis | All |
| 7 | Cell cycle | All |
| 8 | Mendelian inheritance | All |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
Transcription, structure and function of the plasma membrane, DNA duplication, mitosis and meiosis, genetic code
Versione in italiano