- Alberts, Molecular Biology of the cell, Ed. Zanichelli
- Karp, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Ed. Edises
Learning Objectives
The aim of the course is to deepen the knowledge about the molecular mechanisms regulating cellular life.
Teaching Methods
oral lessons
Type of Assessment
the final test will be an oral exam
Course program
(Part B: Prof.ssa Tania Fiaschi). The biological molecules. Sugars, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Overviews on eucaryotic cell. The nucleus, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, ribosomes. Membrane and transport. Membrane fluidity and cholesterol. Active and passive transport. The glucose transport. Genomic information and genomic organization. Dogma of biology, istons. DNA replication. Enzymes and ATP. The structure of nucleic acids. The mechanism of DNA duplication. Telomerase. The mechanism of transcription. RNA maturation. mRNA maturation (splicing, alternative splicing). The structure of a mature mRNA. Analysis of nucleic acids. DNA and RNA electrophoresis, DNA sequencing, Northern blot. PCR. DNA denaturation, PCR mechanism, PCR applications in medicine. Real Time PCR. RT-PCR standard, Probes for Real Time, Relative and Absolute Quantification. The genetic code, translation and mutations. Codons, the mechanism of protein synthesis, the incorporation of selenocystine, point mutations. Protein analysis. Electrophoresis on acrylamide gel, one-dimensional and two-dimensional electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, western blot. Control of gene expression. Epigenetic mechanisms, RNA interference, circulating miRNAs. The cancer cells. Characteristics of tumor cells, oncogenes and oncosoppressors, ameboid motility and epithelium-mesenchymal transition. Stem cells.