Ateneo - UPO

The first part of the course introduces the students to the fundamental discoveries in Molecular Biology, the main areas of application, the structure of nucleic acids and genomes organization. The following lectures will cover the molecular details of genomes replication and maintenance, putting a particular emphasis on the repair of genetic material. The description of mechanisms underlying the expression of the genetic information will follow: transcription and transcription regulation, the processing of different classes of RNA, protein synthesis and control, post-translational modifications of proteins, protein sorting, and basic concepts of cell signaling, focusing on eukaryotic systems.

Nancy Craig et al. Molecular Biology: Principles of Genome Function. Oxford University Press, 2021. Further readings and audio/video material will be suggested by the Lecturer. The presentations used during the lessons will be made available to the students at the end of each course macro-section and must be considered a guide for studying the corresponding topics in the recommended textbook and as a starting point for further individual study.

The FA0429 Molecular Biology course aims to provide students with an up-to-date overview of a discipline that, by describing the molecular mechanisms underlying cell biology in detail, represents an interface with many other fields of investigation. The lectures will cover the description of the phenomena responsible for the expression of the information contained in genomes under physiological and pathological conditions, as well as how these phenomena can be manipulated to advance research in medical and biotechnological fields.

An adequate knowledge of basic concepts in cell biology and general biochemistry is required. Upper-intermediate mastery of English (B2-level).

Standard lessons. Further non-mandatory studying activities and discussions will be planned

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

Written exam. 10 questions, each consisting of four statements that must be judged as true or false. In the event that students consider a statement to be ‘false’ they must provide a brief justification for their choice. The number of correct answers to the four statements in a single question is worth one point. Each correct answer to a single statement is worth 0.25 points (minimum score: 6/10 points). The second part of the examination is an open-end question that aims to assess students' ability to explain a biological phenomenon or a molecular mechanism in a clear, concise, and accurate manner, employing the appropriate terminology (minimum score: 6/8 points). On the basis of active participation in classroom discussions, a maximum of two additional points may be awarded. During the examination session in February, students regularly enrolled in the 3rd year will have the opportunity to undertake a partial examination for the FA0429-molecular Biology module only. However, by the fall session of the same year, they are required to pass the modules FA0455 and FA0454 partial exams. The final mark will be determined based on the results of the partial exams. Starting from the summer session, the examination form will also include questions pertaining to modules FA0455 and FA0454 (refer to the specific information sheets for further details).

The timeline of molecular biology. Nucleic acid structures. DNA topology and topoisomerases. Genes and genomes. Overview of transposable elements and selected examples of transposition mechanisms. The mitochondrial DNA. DNA replication: a molecular view. The replication machinery: analogies and differences between E. coli and eukaryotes. Integration and control of replication during the cell cycle progression. Mutations and agents that can induce mutagenic stress: an overview. DNA repair mechanisms; examples of direct DNA damage repair (e.g. photolyase, MGMT) and multi-step DNA repair pathways: Base Excision Repair (BER); Nucleotide Excision Repair; Mismatch-repair (MMR). Double strand break (DSB) repair by homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). The cross-talk between DNA replication and repair. An overview of RNA synthesis in eubacteria (E. coli) and eukaryotes. RNA polymerases. Protein-coding genes: transcription initiation and regulation of the phenomenon in eukaryotes. Basal transcription factors, activators, repressors, co-activators and co-repressors. Enhancers, silencers and insulators. Chromatin remodeling. The maturation of rRNA, tRNA, miRNA. The maturation of mRNAs: molecular mechanisms of capping, splicing and poly-adenylation. Alternative Splicing. Group I and II auto-splicing introns. Trans-splicing. Examples of RNA editing. Non-stop mediated decay and nonsense mediated decay phenomena. Riboswitch, miRNA, and lncRNA. Methods to study gene expression. Protein synthesis: basic concepts and molecular mechanisms of translation. Protein synthesis control. Post-translational modifications of proteins. Methods used in genome engineering.

Upon the successful completion of the course, the student will have acquired knowledge and understanding of the topics covered and developed the ability to apply such knowledge autonomously, in approaching the study of new topics, focused on the molecular aspects of cell biology. In detail, the students will know and understand: a) the composition, distribution and structural organization of nucleic acids and genomes; b) the molecular mechanisms underlying the flow of genetic information, allowing gene expression in the correct time and way; c) the main levels of integration of these phenomena; and d) the main consequences of a malfunctioning of these phenomena and/or their de-regulation. The student will be able to apply the acquired knowledge to other areas such as a) the description of the molecular basis of diseases, b) the development of new small-molecule or biotechnological drugs targeting functions acting in genome maintenance and/or gene expression, and c) the development of new methods of molecular analysis. During the course the students will be also trained to integrate and re-evaluate the notions previously acquired in other courses (e.g. Biochemistry, Applied Biochemistry, General Biology) in the context and from the standpoint of molecular biology; therefore, they will be able to adopt the same method to the study of other disciplines (e.g. Pharmacology) that they will encounter in the following of their studies. Finally, the students will be able to communicate Molecular Biology notions and concepts using the appropriate terminology.