CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Academic Year 2023/2024 - Teacher:
SIMONA REINA
Expected Learning Outcomes
The course of Cell and Molecular Biology aims to provide students with knowledge and stimulate the ability to understand the physical, chemical and biological contexts in which molecules, reactions and metabolic pathways are framed. Lectures will emphasize the relationships between structure and function of major classes of macromolecules and metabolic regulation at the molecular and cellular levels. To stimulate student interest, the various topics will be explained by emphasizing logical and consequential interconnections, highlighting clinical aspects, and introducing experimental methods. Laboratory activities will also provide skills in the main molecular biology techniques such as cloning, PCR, bacterial cultures, and proteomic techniques. Students' ability to apply knowledge and understanding will be evidenced by the opportunity to discuss and intervene in lectures through discussion with colleagues and with the lecturer, thus stimulated in their autonomy of judgment and communication skills. Overall learning ability will be assessed through students' discussion with the lecturer during lectures, tutorials and oral test.
Course Structure
The course includes frontal lessons and 1 CFU of training within the Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Required Prerequisites
Knowledge of cell logic, cell organization, basic concepts of chemistry and biochemistry
Attendance of Lessons
Course attendance is compulsory to the extent stipulated in the course regulations.
Detailed Course Content
THE NUCLEIC ACIDS: History, Structure 1st and Structure 2nd
THE GENES: differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes
THE TRANSMISSION OF GENETIC INFORMATION AND RNA MOLECULES: The central dogma of biology and its modifications - tRNA as an adaptor - mRNA: function (Bacteria and Eukaryotes) - REPLICATION: DNApolymerase
TRANSCRIPTION - mechanism and general concepts - Components of the transcriptional unit: promoter-site initiation-transcription-terminator - Importance of transcription in the regulation of gene expression - General steps of transcription
REGULATION OF TRANSCRIPTION IN PROKARYOTES - OPERON ORGANIZATION
REGULATION OF TRANSCRIPTION IN EUKARYOTES - TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS
TRANSCRIPTION IN EUKARYOTS : RNA polymerase - Factors of Transcription
PROTEIN SYNTHESIS - Ribosomes - Stages of protein synthesis - the inhibitors of protein synthesis
THE GENETIC CODE
RNA PROCESSING - Splicing and alternative splicing
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TECHNIQUES
NUCLEIC ACID MANIPULATION - electrophoresis - restriction enzymes -Southern and Northern blot - DNA sequencing
VECTORS - Plasmids - principle and practice of cloning
PCR - principles of the method - analysis of results
Textbook Information
Watson, J.D. et al., Biologia Molecolare del gene VIII ed., Zanichelli 2022
Zlatanova & van Holde, Biologia molecolare, Zanchelli 2018
Nelson & Cox, I principi di Biochimica di Lehninger, Zanichelli 2018
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Oral interview
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
What is protein synthesis?
What is the B conformation of DNA?
How are PCR primers drawn?
