Learning objectives
At the end of the course, the students should demonstrate the
understanding of the overall rationale of metabolism, of the structure and
function of biological macromolecules and of the mechanisms that allow
chemical reactions in living organisms, their regulation and coordination.
In detail, the student should be able to:
1. Knowledge and understanding:
- Know and understand the function and structure of biological
macromolecules (mono-, disaccarhydes and polysaccharides, amino
acids, proteins and nucleotides, cofactors and prostetic groups)
- Know and understand the main metabolic pathways
- Know and understand at the molecular level the mechanism of the
enzyme reactions described in the course
2. Applying knowledge and understanding
- describe the structure of any protein or macromolecule
- solve simple biochemical problems
3. Communication skills
- explain the topics of the course effectively with a language that uses
the appropriate scientific terminology
4. Learning skills.
- learn new catalytic mechanisms from simplified scientific literature
- learn new metabolic pathways from teaching material or simplified
scientific literature
Prerequisites
Basic notions of General and Inorganic Chemistry, and Organic chemistry
are required
Course unit content
The biochemistry course will focus on the structure and function of
biological macromolecules, the principles of cell metabolism, the
metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids
Full programme
- Principles of living organisms.
- Molecular and macromolecular components of cells.
- Structure, dynamics and function of proteins.
- Antibodies.
- Myoglobin and hemoglobin.
- Allostery and allosteric models.
- Enzymes and coenzymes.
- Mechanisms of catalysis, inhibition and regulation.
- Lipids and biological membranes.
- Carbohydrates.
- Principles of metabolism and bioenergetics.
Bibliography
The teaching material includes all the slides shown in class and will be
made available on a weekly basis on the Elly platform.
Nelson and Cox - Introduzione alla biochimica di Lehninger - Zanichelli
Nelson e Cox – I principi di biochimica di Lehninger - Zanichelli
Teaching methods
in person
Assessment methods and criteria
The exam consists of a written test followed, after about two days, by an
oral interview. The 30-minutes written test consists of 3-4 open-ended
questions that will require schematic answers aimed at clarifying the
knowledge of the biological macromolecules, the mechanisms of
enzymatic reactions and the reactions of the metabolic pathways. The
candidate's ability to solve a biochemical problem will also be evaluated.
The oral examination, open only to the students that passed the written
test, will focus on the entire content of the course. The final mark for the
Biochemistry exam will be an overall evaluation of the two tests.
Students diagnosed with a specific learning disorder (SLD), certified in
accordance with law 170/2010, will be granted the means allowed by law.
Other information
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