METABOLIC BIOCHEMISTRY

METABOLIC BIOCHEMISTRY

Academic year 2020/2021

Sommario del corso

• Course objectives
• Results of learning outcomes
• Course delivery
• Learning assessment methods
• Support activities
• Program
• Suggested textbooks and readings
• Teaching tools

Course objectives

This teaching contributes to the learning objectives included into the Biomolecular area of the Master in Cellular and Molecular Biology - Biologia Cellulare e Molecolare, providing knowledge and applicative abilities on organ-specific and advanced biochemistry by studying the biosynthesis and degradation of specific molecules and cofactors with high impact on metabolic balance, medicine and pharmacology. Furthermore, it aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlining metabolic and hormonal regulation. In the last part, specific metabolic pathways from different organisms will be studied to understand how they are exploited for biotechnological applications.

Results of learning outcomes

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING.

The students will be able to:

- master advanced biochemical concepts;

- understand the concept of metabolic regulation:

- understand how hormones regulate metabolism;

- understand how xenobiotics are metabolised by organism;

- learn how some metabolic pathways can be exploited for biotechnological applications.

JUDGEMENT AUTONOMY

At the end of the teaching the students will be able to:

- understand a regulation pathway in the picture of the overall metabolism;

- exploit metabolic versatility for different purposes.

COMMUNICATION SKILL

Students will develop the ability to:

- understand conference talks from native speakers about topics descrobed during the lectures. 

Course delivery

Lectures: 48 hours, that include 2 hours of an extra-activity that is a test on the study and comprension of two scientific reviews on a specific topic of the course.

Due to COVID-19 emergency, the lectures are held in the classroom and contemporarly available live streaming on webex. They are also recorded and added on the Moodle platform on the day of the lecture.  Moreover, the mp4 video of the presentation with the audio are shared with the students in a Google Drive folder accessible via UNITO website. 

Learning assessment methods

The final exam consists of a written work with three open questions with limited time and space perfomed on Moodle platform.

Depending on the health emergency conditions, the exam will be written in the classroom with small groups of students or partially oral through the Webex platform. in this case, an oral integration where the students will be asked to write formulas is required. The students will be invited to the meeting on the Webex platform through a mail the day before the exam. Possible technical malfunctions (e.g. weak or absent line for video conferencing on Webex or obscuring the video during the test) do not preclude the possibility of taking the test or exam, which will take place, if deemed necessary, by means of a personalized test or a replacement oral.

For each question, the maximal grade will be 11. If the sum will be more than 30, the exam will be marked 30 cum laude.

In any case, students should gain a sufficient grade (6 out of 10 or more) on all the three questions in order to pass the exam.

Support activities

Support activities are organized on the Moodle e-learning platform (http://biologia.i-learn.unito.it/ ).

In particular, some recent reviews about topics related to one of the lecture are provided.

A quiz for the assessment of the reading and comprehension is performed as an extra activity.

Due to the emergency and the online teaching, monthly webex meetings are organized with the students for any doubt/issue. The meeting is recorded and available on a shared folder in Google Drive.

A forum on Moodle is also available for any request from the students.

Program

Part 1. Advanced metabolic biochemistry.

1-    Tissue - specific metabolic regulation.

2-    Iron metabolism.

3-    Amino acid metabolism: biosynthesis of amino acids.

4-    Metabolism molecule derived from amino acids : porphyrins and heme.

5-    Protein metabolism; sorting protein destiny, chaperones and folding, protein degradation, diseases linked to proteostasis.

6-    Metabolism of xenobiotics: Phase I and Phase II

Part 2. Mtabolic and hormonal regulation

1-    Hormones: classification, structure and function. Hormone receptors, signal transduction and metabolic effects.

2-    The hormonal regulation

3-    Steroid and steroid hormones : biosynthesis and regulation . Role and regulation in the endocrine and neuroendocrine .

Part 3. Applied biochemistry

1-    Microbial metabolism and fermentation: potential applications

2-    Production of biofuels

3-    Detoxification of pollutants

David L. Nelson, Albert L. Lehninger, Lehninger principles of biochemistry.

Robert K. Murray, David A. Bender, Kathleen M. Botham, Peter J. Kennelly, Victor W. Rodwell, P. Anthony Weil. Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry 

Slides and notes of the lectures. 

Recent reviews and reserach papers indicated during the lectures and available on the Moodle e-learning platform (http://biologia.i-learn.unito.it/ ).

Class schedule

• Teaching materials
• Exams and finals
• Go to Moodle
• Visit the forums