- Oggetto:
- Oggetto:
CELL PHYSIOLOGY
- Oggetto:
CELL PHYSIOLOGY
- Oggetto:
Academic year 2016/2017
- Course ID
- SVB0044
- Teacher
- Prof. Luca Munaron
- Degree course
- Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Year
- 1st year
- Teaching period
- First semester
- Type
- Distinctive
- Credits/Recognition
- 6
- Course disciplinary sector (SSD)
- BIO/09 - fisiologia
- Delivery
- Formal authority
- Language
- English
- Attendance
- Lessons optional and laboratories mandatory
- Type of examination
- Written and oral (optional)
- Prerequisites
- A good knowledge of basic Cell Biology (Biologia Cellulare) and General Physiology (Fisiologia Generale).
- Oggetto:
Sommario del corso
- Oggetto:
Course objectives
This is a 6 credit course aimed to provide theoretical, technical and methodological background to critically investigate cell functions.
Particular attention will be focused on live cell imaging techniques as experimental tools to investigate intracellular processes in time and space.- Oggetto:
Results of learning outcomes
KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING SKILLS. Theoretical and experimental approaches for the quantitative study of cell membranes and intracellular signaling.
USE OF KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING SKILLS. At the end of the course, the student is expected to be able to:
- use multiple experimental tools and results to solve a biological problem in cell physiology
- discuss the strenght and limitations of the results published on a research paper
- communicate such findings using appropriate and clear biological language- Oggetto:
Course delivery
The course is articulated in 48 hours of formal in‐class lecture time and in many hours of at‐home work solving practical exercises.
- Oggetto:
Learning assessment methods
The course grade is determined on the basis of a written examination. It may be integrated by a brief oral discussion.
The examination (2 hours) tests the student's ability to do the following:
- Present briefly the main ideas, concepts and results developed in the course, also explaining the meaning and scope of the experimental approaches behind the validity of the results .
- Use effectively the concepts and the result to answer questions and solve theoretical and experimental problems .
The above is accomplished by asking the student to answer 2-3 open questions and 10 closed questions (multiple choise, short answer and fill in the blanks) .
- Oggetto:
Support activities
Weekly homework sets will be assigned, and their solution will be posted and (if time allows) discussed in class.
- Oggetto:
Program
PART I
Cell physiology investigates ‘processes’ in living cells: the importance of time, space and quantification.
What does ‘complexity’ mean? Are cells complex?
The diffusion of cellular biomolecules and membrane permeability: theory and measurements.
General overview of membrane transports (link with biophysics). Patch clamp.
Let’s use the properties of light to measure diffusion of proteins and intracellular messengers involved in cell signaling: fluorescence microscopy.
Look at nature to find experimental solutions: GFP-based systems. FRET-based approaches. Pros and cons.
Single molecule (vesicle) tracking, TIRF, FRAP and Flash Photolysis. Pros and cons.
Can we study cell signaling as a whole and networking system? Why and how? An integrated view of cell signaling. Protein-protein interaction, calcium, cAMP, cGMP, and gasotransmitters: many processes in space and time.
Integration of Calcium and cAMP signaling. Calcium homeostasis: microdomains, CICR, mitochondria, SOCE.
Beyond and together with experimental biology: computational strategies and the need for interdisciplinary approaches.
Modeling cell signaling at multiscale levels: diffusion-reaction law
Molecular crowding, expected and unexpected constraints to free diffusion. What did we learn from all these approaches?PART II
How to sense the extracellular environment? Membrane biosensors and ion channels
Molecular sensory hubs: Transient receptor potential proteins (TRP) and the revolution of sensory cell physiology.
Evolution of sensory systems and the role of TRP.
Catching the light: phototransduction in Drosophila.
Chemotransduction: taste and olfaction in vertebrates.
Sensing the temperature.
How many mechanotrasductions? From touch to hearing.
What did we learn from TRP story? The heart of cell physiology (and evolution) is the structure/function redundancy.Suggested readings and bibliography
- Oggetto:
Lessons, selected papers and websites are available on Moodle.
For some topics selected textbooks available at DBIOS library.
- Oggetto:
Class schedule
Notes: See the timetable at the Class Schedule Page
- Oggetto:
