Teaching code

4S00997

Teacher

Elisabetta Trabetti

Coordinator

Elisabetta Trabetti

Credits

6

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

BIO/13 - EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY

Period

Semester 2 dal Mar 4, 2024 al Jun 14, 2024.

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

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 is no prerequisite

Program

• OVERVIEW ON BIOLOGY: characteristics of the living beings, levels of biological organization. Transmission of information between organisms and across generations, hierarchical classification of living organisms, energy flow through ecosystems
• CHEMICAL ELEMENTS OF LIFE. Chemical elements, organic molecules and macromolecules in living organisms. Characteristics and properties of water, essential constituent of life.
• PRINCIPAL INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF CELL INVESTIGATIONS: cell size; basic concepts of optical and electron microscopy and cell fractionation.
• THE CELL. Cell theory. Organization of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell. Characteristics and functions of: membranes, organelles, cytoskeleton, cilia, flagella, cell wall, extracellular matrix. Animal and plant cells. Mitochondria and plastids and endosymbiont theory. Basic characteristics of different cells and mayor tissue types.
• BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES. Structure and proposed models. Kinds of membrane lipids and proteins, their function. Movement trough 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 FLOW 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. Classification of living beings based on the methods of capturing Energy and sources of Carbon.
• NUCLEAR ORGANIZATION. Cell cycle and its regulation, apoptosis, basic aspects of deregulation and cancer. Mitosis, meiosis and sexual reproduction.
• PRINCIPLES OF HEREDITY. Segregation and independent assortment accordind to Mendel’s experiments, physical association or independence. Crossing-over and recombination. Sex determination systems in animals, some examples of Mendelian traits in humans. Extensions of Mendelian principles.
• DNA AS THE HEREDITARY MATERIAL IN THE CELL. Basic elements of DNA structure, replication and biological ability of cells to preserve hereditary material.
• GENE EXPRESSION AND REGULATION IN DIFFERENT ORGANISMS. Basic 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. Basic elements of cell differentiation and morphogenesis, somatic and germ cells, stem cells. Genetic control of development, maternal effect genes, segmentation genes, 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. Basic classification of virus, their origin hypothesis. Lytic and lysogenic cycle. Examples of viruses and type of infections; viroids and prions. Archea and Bacteria domains. Binary fission and reproduction of bacteria. Types of genetic information transfer. Evolution of bacterial populations, sporulation, biofilm. Colonization of extreme environments; symbiotic relationship
• ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR. The influence of sensory stimuli, learning, genetic heritage. The selection for the survival and reproductive success, the concept of total fitness.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

Teaching methods consist of frontal lessons. In addition to the suggested texts, advanced tools are provided for a better understanding of topics, even advanced ones, in the biological field: further information, exercises and links to multimedia resources will be offered on the e-learning platform of the course.
Students can make an appointment directly with the teacher every time they need it throughout the academic year, by email.
Students are advised to choose a book among those indicated at the University Library System’s Bibliography.

Learning assessment procedures

The exam consists of overcoming a written test (40 multiple-choice questions) that spans the entire program.
The exams are scheduled in 4 sessions, as follows: 2 exams in the Summer Session at the end of the course, 1 exam in the Fall Session and 1 exam in the Extraordinary Session.

Evaluation criteria

To pass the test, students shall demonstrate to possess the comprehension and the knowledge of teaching topics, skills of reasoning and personal re-elaboration of notions. The ability to present their arguments accurately and synthetically, using the adequate scientific language can also be assessed.
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