Study-unit MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
| Course name | Biotechnology |
|---|---|
| Study-unit Code | 55005806 |
| Curriculum | Comune a tutti i curricula |
| CFU | 6 |
| Course Regulation | Coorte 2023 |
| Supplied | 2024/25 |
| Supplied other course regulation | |
| Learning activities | Caratterizzante |
| Area | Discipline biotecnologiche comuni |
| Sector | BIO/11 |
| Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
| Type of learning activities | Attività formativa monodisciplinare |
| Partition |
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY - Canale A
| Code | 55005806 |
|---|---|
| CFU | 6 |
| Lecturer | Manlio Di Cristina |
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| Hours |
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| Learning activities | Caratterizzante |
| Area | Discipline biotecnologiche comuni |
| Sector | BIO/11 |
| Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
| Language of instruction | Italian |
| Contents | The aim of the course is to provide concepts about acid nucleic and protein structures and problems related to acid nucleic analysis by classical methods (isolation, purification and structural and functional property studies. During the course the students will acquire knowledge about analytical and preparative techniques used in molecular biology studies and practical and theoretical expertise on the isolation and analysis of DNA and RNA molecules. |
| Reference texts | J.D.Watson, T.A.Baker,S.P.Bell,A.G.Gann, M.Levine, R.Losick: Biologia Molecolare del Gene, Ed. Zanichelli B. Lewin: Il Gene X, Ed.Zanichelli |
| Educational objectives | Biotechnology competence - understanding and knowledge of: i) the structure and biological properties of either virus or bacteria, including genetic modified organisms; ii) molecular basis of transmission and expression of genomes; iii) molecular methods of analysis; iv) techniques of genomic manipulation. Capability to apply knowledge and understanding of: methods of genomic manipulation of cells and animal and plant organisms. |
| Prerequisites | Basic knowledge in the field of organic chemistry, biology, biochemistry and spectrophotometry represent a prerequisite for student planing to follow the course with profit |
| Teaching methods | Lectures, seminars |
| Other information | Attending classes: Recommended but not compulsory |
| Learning verification modality | The exam consists in written and oral examination. The written examinations are designed at evaluating the student's knowledge and understanding of the topics proposed, the ability to work in laboratory and to solve problems. The written exam consists in thirty multiple-choice questions followed by two essays to evaluate the ability to communicate in written form. The students will integrate the written exam with oral examination provided he will obtain at least the minimum mark 18/30. |
| Extended program | The structure of the double helix of DNA. Mechanisms of DNA repair Mechanisms of DNA recombination. Structure and function of bacterial RNA polymerase. Regulation of transcription in prokaryotes. Structure and function of eukaryotic RNA polymerase. Study of eukaryotic promoters and transcription units. The regulation of transcription in eukaryotes. The maturation of transcripts and splicing. Ribozymes and RNA interference. Protein synthesis in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Recombinant DNA technology: methods of extraction and analysis of nucleic acids Plasmid vectors, phage, cosmids, vectors for specialized applications; Construction, cloning and selection of recombinant DNA. The products of recombinant DNA technology. |
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY - Canale B
| Code | 55005806 |
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| CFU | 6 |
| Lecturer | Carla Emiliani |
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| Hours |
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| Learning activities | Caratterizzante |
| Area | Discipline biotecnologiche comuni |
| Sector | BIO/11 |
| Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
| Language of instruction | Italian |
| Contents | The course aims to explain, at a molecular level, to students the main elements of the flow of genetic information from genes to proteins. It will cover the molecular aspects of the processes involved in preserving genetic information (DNA replication and repair) and genome expression (transcription and transcriptional regulation, translation and translational regulation). The course also aims to explain the methodologies of recombinant DNA, cloning, and major molecular biology techniques. |
| Reference texts | J.D. Watson, T.A. Baker,S.P.Bell, A.G.Gann, M. Levine, R. Losick: Biologia Molecolare del Gene. 8a Zanichelli J. Zlatanova, KE van Holde. Biologia Molecolare. Struttua e dinamica di genomi e proteomi. Zanichelli T.A. Brown. Biotecnologie Molecolari. Principi e tecniche. Zanichelli G. Capranico, E. Martegani, G. Musci, G. Raugei, T. Russo, N. Zambrano, V. Zappavigna, Biologia Molecolare, EDISES |
| Educational objectives | The students will analyze the structure of nucleic acids and proteins. Subsequently, they will delve into the mechanisms of DNA replication, repair, transcription, and translation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, as well as regulation in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The goal is to understand gene expression at the molecular level and comprehend the structure/function relationship of nucleic acids and proteins. Molecular biology techniques will be examined as necessary to understand the essential concepts of the course. The main acquired knowledge will include: -The structure/function relationship of nucleic acids (DNA, RNA) and proteins -Interactions between nucleic acids and proteins -Processes involved in genome maintenance: DNA replication, initiation and termination of replication in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes -The role of DNA repair in genome maintenance. Mechanisms of DNA damage repair -The molecular mechanism of transcription in prokaryotes and eukaryotes -Regulatory and constitutive aspects of transcription, both in prokaryotes and eukaryotes -mRNA maturation in eukaryotes -The molecular mechanism of translation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes -Regulatory and constitutive aspects of translation, both in prokaryotes and eukaryotes -The concept of recombinant DNA and basic tools for DNA manipulation: restriction enzymes and plasmid vectors The main skills will be: - To recognize the structural and regulatory relevance of sequences involved in replication, transcription and translation; - To design a simple experiment of molecular cloning into plasmid vectors using restriction enzymes |
| Prerequisites | The course requires as prerequisites basic knowledge of the organization of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells (General Biology), the structure/function relationship of the main classes of biomolecules/enzymes (Biochemistry), chemical bonds, and reactions in an aqueous environment (Inorganic Chemistry). |
| Teaching methods | The course is based on i) lessons with slides, ii) videos on specific lesson topics to improve the structural understanding of micromole mechanism of action, iii) test with multiple choice and open questions on course topics, iv) simulation of the written test. |
| Other information | For the teaching calendar (lessons date, timetable and place), please check the Biotechnology degree website in dcbb.unipg.it |
| Learning verification modality | The final examination will consist in a written test on all topics (90 min, 40 questions with multiple answers) to assess the basic comprehension of the course topics and an oral examination for students with a sufficient evaluation in it (18/30), in order to discuss the critical points emerged. Students that will not reach a sufficient evaluation in the written part (18/30) may discuss the critical points with the teacher by appointment Should exam face-to-face not allowed, final examination will be carried out via an online platform according to the decision of the University Students with disabilities or DSA may consult the webpage www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa |
| Extended program | DNA structure; nucleotides and double helix stability. A, B and Z isomers. The G-quadruplex. DNA denaturation kinetics and topology. RNA structure. Structure and function of DNA and RNA binding proteins. DNA organization within eukaryotic nuclei; euchromatin and heterochromatin Nucleosomes and post-translational modification of histones DNA replication: DNA polymerase structure and the replicative fork organization DNA replication initiation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes Mutations and mutagens Replication-associated DNA repair (MMR), and post-replicative DNA repair (BER e NER) Double strand break repair; homologous recombination Cell cycle and DNA damage global response The transcription in prokaryotes: promoter and RNA polymerase structure, formation of initiation and elongation complexes. The termination of transcription. The transcription of eukaryotes: the structure of RNA polymerases I, II, III and of their promoters mRNA maturation and splicing, tRNA and rRNA processing Protein synthesis; ribosome and tRNA structure, the formation of the initiation, elongation and termination complexes in prokaryotes and eukaryotes The genetic code and the loading of aminoacid on tRNA by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase The regulation of transcription in prokaryotes: constitutive and regulative control. Examples of regulative control: the structure of lactose and tryptophan operons The regulation of transcription in eukaryotes: transcription factors activation and chromatin modification Signal transduction and transcription factors activation. Examples of transcription factors activation: the steroid receptors, signalling cascades. |