Ateneo - UPO

Basic properties and components of living organisms (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids) DNA organization, replication and repair Principles of transcription and translation of the genetic information Cell structure and function Cell communication Animal and plant cell comparison

Biologia molecolare della cellula, Alberts, Zanichelli.L’essenziale di Biologia molecolare della cellula, Alberts, Zanichelli.Biologia cellulare e molecolare, Karp, Edises.Biologia delle piante, Raven, Zanichelli.Biologia vegetale, Pupillo, Zanichelli.

The course aims to provide basic knowledge on the structural organization of animal and plant eukaryotic cells, cellular processes and intercellular relationships, mechanisms of expression and transmission of genetic information. The course also aims to provide students with adequate skills for managing and communicating information, needed to undertake subsequent studies.

Students are expected to have prior knowledge of mathematics, chemistry, and biology consistent with the educational preparation provided by secondary schools in accordance with the Italian National Guidelines for Upper Secondary Schools (Licei) and the Guidelines for Technical Institutes.

Classroom lectures will be held during October to January. Some topics will bedeepened with videos in English and Italian and classroom exercises.

The slides of the lectures and additional material are available on the website“Didattica in Rete”: https://www.dir.uniupo.it/ Students with physical disabilities,Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific servicesand tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alleStudentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage:https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilitiesModalità

The examination consists of multiple-choice questions covering the topics included in the course syllabus. Each question comprises a statement or prompt followed by two to five answer options, of which only one is correct. Each correct answer is awarded a positive score, while incorrect or unanswered questions do not incur any penalty.The examination includes all quizzes corresponding to the individual modules of the Integrated Course, which are administered simultaneously during the same examination session.To pass the examination, students must achieve a minimum score of 18/30 in each module. The results obtained in the individual modules will be reviewed collectively by the Examination Committee, which will determine the final proposed grade.The Examination Committee reserves the right to invite students to an oral examination for further assessment, if deemed necessary.Two examination sessions are scheduled for each examination period, which take place in February, June–July, and September.

• Biological macromolecules: nucleic acids DNA and RNA, amino acids and proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. • DNA: the double helix structure. Levels of organization of DNA inside the cell: nuclear chromatin and chromosome structure.DNA replication. Mechanisms of control of the fidelity of copying the genetic message. Mutations: importance in the pathology and evolution. • Molecular definition of gene. • The transcription and maturation of RNAs. • The lac operon as a paradigmatic example of gene regulation in prokaryotes. • The modulation of gene expression in eukaryotes. • The genetic code and its characteristics. • The protein synthesis. • Plasma membrane: organization of the phospholipid bilayer, proteins and sugars. • The mechanisms of transport of small molecules: permeability of the bilayer, channel proteins and carrier proteins, active and passive transport. • Rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus: membrane and secreted protein synthesis, signal sequences, glycosylation and maturation of proteins in the Golgi. Exocytosis and endocytosis. • Smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Lysosomes and peroxisomes . • Mitochondria. • General principles of cell communication. Properties of receptors and intracellular generation of messages. The extracellular matrix: glucosamminoglycans, proteoglycans, structural proteins and adhesive proteins. • The cytoskeleton: actin and myosin microfilaments, intermediate filaments and microtubules The phases of the cell cycle and mitosis. The cell cycle control. Comparison of plant and animal organisms. • General features of plant cells: size, shape, organization, wall, plastids, vacuole. • Wall: wall formation, chemical composition of the wall, primary and secondary wall cell wall modifications. Importance of the wall in the control of osmotic pressure (see also the vacuole). • Plastids: plastids in the meristematic cell, differentiation, forms and interconversion between the plastids, hypothesis on the origin of plastids. The plastids in the adult cell: chloroplasts, leucoplasts, chromoplasts. • Vacuole: the vacuole in the meristematic cell, differentiation, the vacuole in the adult cell. Importance of the vacuole in the control of osmotic pressure. Solid and liquid includes of the vacuole. • Growth and development of plant cells. Characteristics of the meristematic cell and of adult cell. • The plant tissues. • Photosynthesis: dark phase and light phase. • Plant hormones: auxin, cytokinins, gibberellins, ethylene and abscisic acid.

Knowledge and capacity of comprension, critical analysis and lexicon of molecular and cellular biology At the end of the course the student will acquire the necessary tools to: 1) Understand the principles and methods of molecular and cellular biology 2) Understand the molecular mechanisms of gene expression and function 3) Understand eukaryotic cell organization and function.