Teaching code

4S00303

Teacher

Patricia Lievens

Coordinatore

Patricia Lievens

Credits

6

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

BIO/13 - EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY

Period

1° semestre motorie dal Oct 1, 2020 al Jan 29, 2021.

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide knowledge on cellular structures and functions, cell replication processes, transmission of genetic information, mechanisms of transcription and translation of the genetic information; general and up-to-date knowledge of biological issues that find application in the profession of sports activity experts; knowledge of modern biological investigation techniques that can be used in studies of motor activity and sports. Learning outcomes: understanding of the "scientific method" by describing and interpreting experiments that are part of the history of biology; description of the molecular processes that allow gene expression.

Program

At the end of the course the student must know the following topics:
1. The characteristics common to all living organisms.
2. The observations and experiments that led to the discovery of the genetic material: the experiments of Griffith and then of Avery, McLeod and McCarty on the identification of DNA; the central dogma of Biology, whereby RNA derives from DNA and proteins from RNA; the discovery of the structure of DNA from Erwin Chargaff to Rosalind Franklin to J. Watson and F. Crick and finally to Meselson and Stahl (semi-conservative replication).
3. The morphological and functional differences existing between viruses, bacteria and eukaryotes including protists.
4. The biology of the cell: the organization of the eukaryotic cell, the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments. Cell microscopy analysis techniques.
4.1 Cell membranes: the bilayer of phospholipids, cholesterol and membrane proteins, the relationship between antigens present on the erythrocyte membrane and blood groups. The transport mechanisms
4.2 The functions of cell organelles.
4.3 The cellular aggregates and the extracellular matrix
4.4 The morphology and function of the epithelial cell
4.5 The morphology of the muscle cell and the nerve cell, the neuromuscular plate and the neurotransmitters, the synapse and its organization and the enzymes involved. Depolarization of the membrane, the chain of events that lead to the transmission of the signal from synapse to synapse through the axon, Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes, action potential and muscle contraction. The muscle cell, molecules, enzymes and proteins involved in the contraction of the muscle fiber. The types of muscle fibers and their characteristics, the growth of muscle mass related to training, the function of satellite cells, the function of myostatin and its inhibitors.
4.6 Connective cells: diversity and functions
5. Cell reproduction: the cell cycle and the mechanisms that govern cell division (mitosis) and both male and female gametogenesis (meiosis). Stem cells
6. The flow of gene information: transcription and translation. the eukaryotic chromosome and the phenomena of regulation and expression of genes. Chromatin and chromosomes. The human karyotype. Interpreting the turning on or off of a gene's activity as a response to an environmental stimulus, whether internal or external to the cell; interpret the phenomena of cell differentiation and growth by means of autocrine, paracrine and endocrine mechanisms. Genetic mutations, the difference between gene and chromosomal mutations, spontaneous mutations, mutagenic agents and their action, the "fluctuation" test, the Ames test, the correlation between mutagenesis and cancer, the correlation between smoking and cancer , UV damage and the reparative mechanisms, the Xeroderma Pigmentosum.
7. Character inheritance: the principles of Mendelian genetics, allelism and the concepts of dominance and recessivity
8. Human genetics: interpretation and construction of family trees with particular reference to traits such as blood groups and some of the known human genetic pathologies (e.g. familial hypercholesterolemia, cystic fibrosis, haemophilia etc.)
9. The principles of population genetics and Hardy and Weinberg's law.
10. Developmental biology: embryonic sheets and their fate. The mechanisms involved in the aging of all living beings: from genetic to environmental factors, Hayflick's experiments on fibroblasts, the role of free radicals, antioxidants, transgenic Drosophil experiments, telomere shortening, genetic programs which determine the average life span of a species.

The teaching methods consist of lectures during which the topics covered by the program will be addressed and discussed.

Examination Methods

The assessment of the learning outcomes includes a written test aimed at ascertaining the knowledge of the topics in the program. The questions are formulated as multiple choice questions and open-ended questions. The questions require knowledge of scientific terminology in the biological field, the ability to interpret family trees, the ability to connect the knowledge of molecular biology and genetics, the ability to describe and exemplify biological structures. The overall evaluation of the answers to the questions is expressed in 30ths.

Bibliography