500462 - CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY

courses

ID:

500462

Duration (hours):

48

CFU:

SSD:

BIOCHIMICA

Year:

2025

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (29/09/2025 - 16/01/2026)

Course Objectives

The students will be presented with a comprehensive course on protein biochemistry, from protein synthesis, rudiments of protein folding and structure, translation regulation and, most importantly, protein sorting and vesicular trafficking, with some detour to deal with unusual topics such as selenoproteins, cholesterol metabolism, cancer cytogenetics. Students will become familiar with cellular molecular processes that are the subject of intense investigation in frontier research in cell biology. Students who attended this course will be ready to engage without problems in a PhD course should they intend to proceed further in the research field.

Course Prerequisites

Students should have a solid background in chemistry and biochemistry because some of the questions at the exam will deal with molecular structures and metabolic pathways.

Teaching Methods

The course is based on original lectures prepared by the teacher by integrating reference textbook material with state-of-the art research in each given topic. Lecture slides will be provided to the students for their preparation to the exam. Whenever possible, the course will be in part taught by a visiting professor who will deal mainly with biological membranes, membrane transport systems, and microscopy techniques applied to the study of biochemical processes. Additional support and teaching aids will be guaranteed exclusively to students belonging to specific categories defined by the University governance (working students, disabled, caregivers, etc.), who will not be able to attend the lessons in presence.

Assessment Methods

WRITTEN EXAM, with “multiple choice”, “true/false”, “matching terms with definitions”, and “open” types of questions, followed by an ORAL EXAM.

Texts

1) Lecture slides.
2) Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, Raff M, Roberts K, Walter P: Molecular Biology of the Cell. 7th ed. Garland Science, 2022.
3) Voet D, Voet JG: Biochemistry. Wiley, 2010.
The didactic materials provided by the instructor in the form of PowerPoint slides and/or PDF files are intended solely for the use of students enrolled in the 2024/2025 academic year of the Master’s course in Molecular Biology and Genetics.
These materials are designed to support the understanding of topics covered in each lecture.
They are not a substitute for the recommended textbooks or original sources referenced by the instructor.
Reproduction, distribution, or publication of any content (including text, audio, or video) in any form is strictly prohibited.

Protein synthesis and its regulation. Selenoproteins. Protein structure: overview of the main types of structural domains. Protein folding and molecular chaperones. Mechanisms and regulation of protein sorting and transport. Post-translational modifications of proteins. Protein turnover and degradation. Biological membranes. Membrane proteins. Membrane transport including ion channels. Exploring cellular biochemistry by imaging methods: Principles and Examples. Biochemistry of subcellular structures: cell organelles. Membrane trafficking and recycling. Cell signaling: pathways of signal transduction, signaling molecules, receptors. Programmed cell-death.