Learning objectives
A foundation in genetics, biochemistry and molecular biology. Preparation for bio-information technology studies.
Course unit content
o The components of living matter <br />
o Macromolecules: chemical and biological aspects. <br />
Sugars <br />
Lipids <br />
Nucleic acids and proteins as the archives of biological diversity. <br />
o The cell <br />
Cell membranes and membrane proteins. <br />
Prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells. The structural and functional organisation of the eukaryotic cells: organelles. <br />
The nucleus: storage and transmission of genetic information. <br />
Ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus: the biosynthesis and distribution of proteins. <br />
Mitochondria and chloroplasts: energy transformation. <br />
Chromosomes, the cell cycle, cell division. <br />
Mitosis and meiosis <br />
o Nucleic acids, information and inheritance <br />
Mendel’s experiments and the laws regulating the transmission of genetic characters <br />
Morgan’s experiments and gene mapping. <br />
The structure and nomenclature of nitrogenous bases and nucleotides. The covalent skeleton of nucleic acids. <br />
The double helix structure of DNA. <br />
DNA denaturation, renaturation and hybridisation. The electrophoretic analysis of nucleic acids. <br />
DNA replication: fundamental characteristics and chemical foundations. DNA polymerases and other replication proteins. Replication mechanisms. <br />
DNA sequencing. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA recombination and repair (overview). <br />
RNA: structure and functions. The DNA-dependent synthesis of RNA (transcription). RNA polymerase and promoters. Transcription factors. Modifications of RNA after transcription. <br />
The genetic code. Protein synthesis. <br />
Levels of regulation of gene expression. <br />
The RNA-dependent synthesis of DNA (inverse transcriptase). <br />
Genes and genomes. DNA organisation in viruses, bacteria and eukaryotes. <br />
Molecular evolution. <br />
o Proteins <br />
The twenty amino-acids present in proteins. The peptide bond. <br />
The protein structural hierarchy: primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure. <br />
Denaturation and folding of polypeptide chains. Covalent protein modification: phosphorylation, glycosylation, proteolysis. <br />
The relationship between protein structure and their function. <br />
Membrane proteins, fibrous proteins, globular proteins. <br />
o Enzymes, enzymatic catalysts and metabolism <br />
Thermodynamic principles of enzymatic reactions <br />
General characteristics and nomenclature of enzymes <br />
Characteristics of enzymatic catalysis <br />
Enzyme inhibitors <br />
Glycolysis <br />
Aerobic and anaerobic energetic metabolism <br />
The energetic role of ATP and NADH <br />
The citric acid cycle <br />
The respiration chain <br />
Bibliography
Purves, Sadawa, Orians, Heller. Elementi di Biologia e Genetica (second Italian edition), Zanichelli, Bologna, 2005.
