510546 - CELL BIOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY (M-Z)

courses

ID:

510546

Duration (hours):

48

CFU:

SSD:

FISIOLOGIA

Year:

2025

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (29/09/2025 - 23/01/2026)

Course Objectives

This module aims at illustrating the structure and main functions of the animal cell, the mechanisms involved in transmembrane transport and cell communication, and the physiology of nerve and muscle cells. At the end of the course, the student will have acquired the basic knowledge necessary to the subsequent study of System Physiology (Human Physiology).

Course Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of the physical laws regulating the movement of charges and solutes.

Teaching Methods

The module will be delivered as frontal lectures and tutoring sessions. Lectures will be aided by Power Point presentations that will be made available to students on KIRO online platform. For students with specific needs, who cannot attend teaching activities in person and who have applied for Inclusive Teaching Modality, adequate teaching material will be available for fruitful independent study. If requested, self-learning can be supported by tutoring or supplementary teaching activities, and by online dedicated meetings, with time flexibility depending on needs.

Assessment Methods

During the course two partial tests will take place. Students not submitting or not passing partial tests will take a final exam during the official exam sessions (June - July, September, February). Both partial and final exams will take place in written form and will consist of a mix of open and multiple choice questions. If the number of students enrolled in the exam is less than 10, exams can also be done as oral, keeping a similar structure: open questions assessing critical thinking skills and spot questions assessing knowledge of structures, processes and terminology. Appropriate examination methods are foreseen for students who fall into the categories foreseen for Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) and Special Educational Needs (SEN).

Texts

Dalle Donne et al.,Citologia e Istologia , EdiSES. V. Taglietti et al., Fondamenti di Fisiologia generale e integrata, EdiSES Alberts et al., L'essenziale di biologia molecolare della cellula, Zanichelli

Biologically important molecules: water, lipids, carbohydrates, proteins. Nucleic acids and nucleotides. Protein synthesis: transcription, translation and post-translational modifications. Cellular organization of living: procaryotes and eucaryotes. Cell membrane, cytoplasmic organelles, cell nucleus. Mitosis and meiosis. Transport of substances across the plasma membrane: free diffusion, facilitated diffusion, primary and secondary active transport. Diffusion and equilibrium potentials. Resting membrane potential. The action potential and its ionic basis. Cell communication: membrane receptors and chemical messengers. Synaptic transmission: excitatory and inhibitory synapses. Sensory receptors: transduction and encoding processes. Contraction in striated and smooth muscle.