Learning objectives

The course purposes are: (i) to give basic knowledge about living organism characteristic: procariots, eucariots, viruses, through the acquisition of the fundamental concepts of biology and of the structural, functional and molecular principles of cellular processes; (ii) to describe the fundamental concepts of genetics and the transmission of hereditary characters in different organisms, with specific exam-ples of pathological traits in humans; (iii) to provide basic knowledge on the mechanisms governing the flow of genetic information and the development of organisms; (iv) to provide basic knowledge of animal behavior; (v) to educate to the critical evaluation of experimental data, describing and discuss-ing past and contemporary important experiments; (vi) to provide the up-to-date methodologies used in the biological molecules studies. At the end of the course, students should demonstrate to have acquired notions to become fruitful for a critical analysis of the mechanisms which regulate intra/intercellular activities, cellular interactions and reproduction, organism-to-organism interactions and organisms-to-environment interactions and cause mutations. Students are expected to be autonomous in the evaluation of the mentioned process-es. They should also demonstrate to have acquired knowledge of the flow of genetic information, growth and development of living organisms, Mendelian genetics and of animal behavior. Students should also demonstrate to have acquired basic knowledge of methodologies used in the biological molecules studies and their capability to expose reasoning in a critical and precise manner using ap-propriate scientific language. Students will be able to use the specific notions of biology and genetic bases of life to propose appropriate and original solutions in computer applications; students will also acquire the ability to read and understand advanced biological topics and will therefore be able to attend more advanced courses (including a master's degree) both in the biotechnology and bioinformatics field.

Prerequisites and basic notions

There are no prerequisites.

Program

• GENERAL OUTLINE OF BASIC BIOLOGY ISSUES: characteristics of the living beings, levels of biological organisation. Transmission of information between organisms and across generations, hierarchical classification of living organisms, and energy flow through ecosystems.
• CHEMICAL ELEMENTS OF LIFE. Chemical elements, organic molecules and macromolecules in living organisms. Characteristics and properties of water, an essential constituent of life.
• PRINCIPAL INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF CELL INVESTIGATIONS: cell size, basic optical and electron microscopy concepts, and cell fractionation.
• THE CELL. Cell theory. Organisation of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Characteristics and functions of membranes, organelles, cytoskeleton, cilia, flagella, cell wall, extracellular matrix. Animal and plant cells. Mitochondria and plastids and endosymbiont theory. Essential characteristics of different cells and significant tissue types.
• BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES. Structure and proposed models. Membrane lipids and proteins, their function. Movement through the plasma membrane: osmosis, simple and facilitated diffusion, directly and indirectly, active transport. Exocytosis and endocytosis. Cell junctions in animal and plant cells.
• CELL COMMUNICATION. Types of cellular communication. Sending and receiving the signal. Surface and intracellular receptors. Signal transduction and second messengers. Cellular response to signals.
• ENERGY FLOWS THROUGH LIVING ORGANISMS. Energy and metabolism: energy and biological work; general aspects of metabolism, anabolism and catabolism, energy coupling, energy transfer systems. Function and regulation of enzymes as biological catalysts.
• METABOLIC PATHWAYS THAT RELEASE ENERGY. Anaerobic and aerobic respiration, fermentation. Photosynthesis, photorespiration. The classification of living beings is based on the methods of capturing energy and sources of carbon.
• NUCLEAR ORGANIZATION. Cell cycle and its regulation, apoptosis, fundamental aspects of deregulation and cancer. Mitosis, meiosis and sexual reproduction.
• PRINCIPLES OF HEREDITY. Mendel’s laws. Physical association or independence. Crossing-over and recombination. Sex determination systems in animals and some examples of Mendelian traits in humans. Extensions of Mendelian principles.
• DNA AS THE HEREDITARY MATERIAL IN THE CELL. Essential elements of DNA structure, replication and biological ability of cells to preserve hereditary material.
• GENE EXPRESSION AND REGULATION IN DIFFERENT ORGANISMS. Essential elements of genetic information pathway and their regulation in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
• BIOINFORMATIC in Sistem Biology. General aspects and examples of application.
• DEVELOPMENT BIOLOGY. Essential elements of cell differentiation and morphogenesis, somatic and germ cells, and stem cells. Model organisms in biology. Genetic control of development, maternal effect genes, segmentation genes, and homeotic genes.
• DARWIN AND EVOLUTION. Natural selection, synthetic theory of evolution (neo-Darwinism). Evidence for evolution: fossils, comparative anatomy, developmental biology and evolutionary patterns. Molecular comparison among organisms, universality of the genetic code, evolutionary changes in proteins and DNA.
• GENERAL BIOLOGY OF VIRUES AND PROKARIOTES. Hints of virus classification, their origin hypothesis. Lytic and lysogenic cycle. Examples of viruses and types of infections are viroids and prions. Archaea and Bacteria domains. Binary fission and reproduction of bacteria. Types of genetic information transfer. Evolution of bacterial populations, sporulation, biofilm. Colonisation of extreme environments; symbiotic relationship
• ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR. The influence of sensory stimuli, learning, and genetic heritage. The selection for survival and reproductive success, the concept of total fitness.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

The didactic methods adopted for teaching consist of frontal lessons accompanied by multimedia presentations such as PowerPoint, videos and animations, self-evaluation quizzes, also making use of the range of innovative tools at the service of teaching (links to multimedia resources, Wooclap, Jove and others interactive software, etc) specially integrated into the Moodle platform and usable by all students of the course. Some fundamental biological experiments will be described, and practical examples will be illustrated to develop the ability to interpret experimental data and critically rework the knowledge acquired. Any other supplementary and in-depth material will be made available on the University's Moodle platform on the page dedicated to teaching. During the academic year, an individual reception service is available by emailing the teacher during flexible hours. Students are advised to choose a text from those indicated in the Bibliography sheets of the University Library System.

Learning assessment procedures

The exam consists of a written test made up of 40-45 questions (single response, multiple choice, true/false, completion tests) relating to all the topics indicated in the course programme to verify both the achievement of the theoretical knowledge and the ability of students to reason and re-elaborate the knowledge acquired individually. The maximum duration of the Biology test is 75 minutes.

Evaluation criteria

To pass the test, students shall demonstrate comprehension and knowledge of teaching topics, reasoning skills and personal re-elaboration of notions.
The Biology test is considered passed if the evaluation is at least 18/30.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

Single test examination

Exam language

Italiano

Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs

This initiative contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030. More information on sustainability