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Cell Biology and Genetics
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CBG
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Academic year 2023/2024
- Course ID
- SCB0466
- Teaching staff
- Isabelle Perroteau (Coordinator)
Adriano Ceccarelli (Lecturer)
Saverio Francesco Retta (Lecturer)
Antonella Roetto (Lecturer) - Year
- 1st year
- Teaching period
- First semester
- Type
- Basic
- Credits/Recognition
- 11 (88 hours of lectures, 44 hours of exercises)
- Course disciplinary sector (SSD)
- BIO/13 - experimental biology
MED/03 - medical genetics - Delivery
- Formal authority
- Language
- English
- Attendance
- Mandatory
- Type of examination
- Written followed by oral
- Prerequisites
- B2 English level and IMAT biology program are preliminary conditions to attend the class with proficiency
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Sommario del corso
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Course objectives
CBG is a basic course in modern medical education, the purpose of which is to make medical students master the structure and functions of cellular components, as well as genetic regulation and mechanisms. This knowledge will provide a solid foundation for a better understanding of human health as well as studying other related courses (basic and clinical).
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Results of learning outcomes
- Deep knowledge and understanding of cell structures and the dynamic functional activities of cells, cell communication, proliferation and survival.
- Awareness that all pathologies result ultimately from dysfunctions - of genetic or environmental origin - in cellular activities.
- Critical thinking
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Course delivery
Traditional classroom instructional strategy (CB and HG) includes direct instruction, question and answer, problem-solving, peer- and discovery learning in combination with ICT supported learning.
Blended classroom instructional strategy (MG): Students gain first exposure to new material outside of class, usually via reading or lecture videos, and then online class time is used to do the harder work of assimilating that knowledge through strategies such as collaborative and peer learning, problem-solving, discussion or debates
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Learning assessment methods
- Moodle quiz conducted in class
- Face-to-face interviews with the Faculty, conducted in class.
- Distant moodle quiz and interviews restricted only to eligible students
This exam session stands out by facilitating the integration of various topics into the discussion and accommodating individual assessments to determine the final grade.
The exam session commences with a 30-minute Moodle quiz:
- The purpose of the quiz is to test the fundamental knowledge with respect to CBG programm
- 32 closed questions in 30 min, 10 points
- Pass: 7/10
- Only student that pass the quiz are admitted to the interview with the lecturers
Students who successfully pass the quiz proceed to individual interviews with all four instructors. Throughout these interviews, students rotate between each instructor every 15-20 minutes, fostering an in-depth discussion lasting 60-90 minutes. Interviews commence promptly following the publication of quiz results and may extend to the following day if necessary due to the number of admitted students.
- Cell Biology (Perroteau, Retta): You will answer 4 questions randomly extracted from a pool of open questions aimed to assess the degree of achievement of the learning outcomes. Test time: 20-30min/student
- Human Genetics (Roetto): You will answer 2 questions randomly extracted from a pool of open questions aimed to assess the degree of achievement of the learning outcomes. Test time: 10-15min/student.
- Molecular Genetics (Ceccarelli): You will provide a final Portfolio demonstrating the skills and competencies that have been achieved, discuss your work and demonstrate the achievement of the competences identified in your self-assessment document.
- Your final grading is the weighted average of the marks of each lecturer according to credits of each part (CB1 and CB2: 3.5 credits each; HG and MG: 2 credits each)
- Final mark is expressed as a value out of 30 points.
- You will receive your final grade with an automatic email message from the web application.
- If your final mark is ≥18/30, CGB exam is passed.
- If your final mark is <18/30, CBG exam is failed and you will have to sit again for the quiz and interviews with the 4 lecturers in one of the next sessions.
- If your final mark is 30/30, as a common decision of the 4 lecturers, you may be granted “cum Laude". The decision is based on outstanding participation to lectures, activities and/or final discussion.
- Your passed final mark is considered as accepted by default unless you deny it on the web application within 5 days of the communication. The denied final mark is cancelled and you will sit again for the quiz and interview with each of the 4 lecturers, in one of the next sessions.
IMPORTANT: The web application through which the University manages the exams, from booking to online results, is the ESSE3 platform. In order to sit an exam, it is mandatory to enroll yourself in the exam session on ESSE3 within the deadline:
How to enroll in an exam session: log in to the portal UniTO.it and access the page MyUniTO. Then select the "Esami" entry "Exam sessions" (warning: not from the "Careers"> "Booklet")
Iff you change your mind and decide not to sit for the exam, please, unenroll or if this is not anymore possible, email to the Coordinator.
If you passed exams in another university, you may apply for credit transfer. You will be asked to provide official documents from your previous university and a specific Committee will decide for total or partial credit transfer.
Contact the student administration office for further information with the procedure:
https://www.medinto.unito.it/do/home.pl/View?doc=Contacts.html
Important: At the end of the procedure, please provide the course coordinator with the minutes of the Committee, even in case of total credit transfer.
- Total Credit Transfer (11 credits): Provide CBG Coordinator with the minutes of the Committee so we will be aware you will not have to attend classes nor to sit for CBG exam.
- Partial Credit Transfer (less than 11 credits): Provide CBG Coordinator with the minutes of the Committee to receive information about the requested integration. Accordingly, you will then sit for an personalised CBG exam and the CBG grade will account for the missing credits, only. Enrollment procedure is the same as for students without credit transfer.
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Support activities
Students with SLD are encouraged to contact the SLD office [1] for special needs arrangement.
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Program
SCB0466A - MED/03 medical genetics, 2 credits
- Human genetics (HG; 2 credits)
- Student workload 52 hrs
- Lecturer: Antonella Roetto
SCB0466B - BIO/13 Experimental Biology, 9 credits
- Cell biology part 01 (CB01; 3.5 credits)
- Student workload 92 hours
- Lecturer: Isabelle Perroteau
- Cell biology part 02 (CB02; 3.5 credits)
- Student workload 92 hours
- Lecturer: Francesco Retta
- Molecular genetics (MG; 2 credits)
- Student workload 52hrs
- Lecturer: Adriano Ceccarelli
Unit 01 METHODS - CELL MEMBRANES
- Prior knowledge (IMAT)
- the chemistry of living things; the cell as the basis of life; bioenergetics
- 32 hours of student workload subdivided in:
- 14 contact hours
- 18 personal work hours
- In class building of knowledge and understanding
- Lectures : analyzing cells, molecules, and systems; visualizing cell and their molecules; cell membrane composition; vesicle formation and fusion; membrane transport of small molecules; membrane organelles structure and dynamics; and cell respiration (10 contact hrs)
- Activities: experimental biology problem solving; virtual microscopy; and “If you can sketch it you know it” (4 contact hrs)
- Personal building of knowledge and understanding:
- Review of lecture materials, readings of chapters 8-11 and 14 of the textbook; mindmapping (14 hrs)
- Virtual microscopy homework (1 hr)
- Sketching (2 hrs)
- Quizlet and moodle self-formative assessments (1 hr).
Unit 02 INTRACELLULAR COMMUNICATION & SORTING
- Prior knowledge (IMAT)
- the chemistry of living things; reproduction and inheritance.
- 30 hours of student workload subdivided in:
- 12 contact hrs
- 18 personal work hrs
- In class building of knowledge and understanding
- Lectures: Macromolecule synthesis topography; protein sorting to nucleus, mitochondria and peroxisomes; the secretory route; the endocytic route. Microvesicles and exosomes formation (8 contact hrs).
- Activities (reasoning skills): “If you can sketch it you know it”; mindmapping; protein sorting problem solving; cystic fibrosis case study (4 contact hrs).
- Personal building of knowledge and understanding:
- Review of lecture materials and reading of chapters 12-13 (15 hrs)
- Mind mapping and sketching (2hr)
- Quizlet and moodle self-formative assessments (1 hr)
Unit 03 INTERCELLULAR COMMUNICATION & SIGNALLING
- Prior knowledge (IMAT):
- the animal tissue; omeostasis
- 30 hours of student workload subdivided in:
- 12 contact hrs
- 18 personal work hrs
- In class building of knowledge and understanding
- Lectures: GPCR, enzyme-receptors and alternative receptors cell signaling pathways. Alternative communication: microvesicles and exosomes; Gap junctions; and Tunneling nanotubes (8 contact hrs)
- Activities: proto-oncogene and signal transduction experimenal approach problem-solving; signaling pathway and tumorigenesis paper discussion (4 contact hrs)
- Personal building of knowledge and understanding
- Review of lecture materials and reading of chapter 15 and 20 (15 hrs)
- Mind mapping and sketching (2hr)
- Quizlet and moodle self-formative assessments (1 hr)
Unit 04 CELL SHAPE AND MOTILITY
- Lectures (10 contact hrs)
- Cytoskeleton: Microfilaments, microtubules and intermediate filaments assembly and regulation
- Motor proteins of microfilaments and microtubules. Specialized structures: mitotic spindle, flagella, axon
- Cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion and signalling
- Motility processes and cell migration. Chemotaxis
- Activities (4 contact hrs)
- Cognitive, reasoning and communication skills: development and presentation of cooperative studies (group learning and group work at home) aimed at deeper understanding and contextualization in the medical field of the biological topics covered.
- Personal study (16 hrs)
- Homework work (6 hrs)
- Readings and formative assessment (10 hrs)
Overall student workload: 30 hrs
Unit 05 CELL PROLIFERATION AND SURVIVAL
- Lectures (10 contact hrs)
- Cell cycle regulation
- Mitosis and meiosis
- Accidental and programmed cell death
- Autophagy in cell survival and death
- Activities (4 contact hrs)
- Cognitive, reasoning and communication skills: development and presentation of cooperative studies (group learning and group work at home) aimed at deeper understanding and contextualization in the medical field of the biological topics covered.
- Personal study (16 hrs)
- Homework work (6 hrs)
- Readings and formative assessment (10hrs)
Overall student workload: 30 hrs
Unit 06 CELL DIFFERENTIATION
- Lectures (10 contact hrs)
- Stem cells, cell differentiation, and development of multicellular organisms. Cell tracing
- Nuclear reprogramming and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)
- Genetically modified animal models
- Activities (4 contact hrs)
- Cognitive, reasoning and communication skills: development and presentation of cooperative studies (group learning and group work at home) aimed at deeper understanding and contextualization in the medical field of the biological topics covered.
- Personal study (16 hrs)
- Homework work (6 hrs)
- Readings and formative assessment (10 hrs)
Overall student workload: 30 hrs
UNIT 1: DNA IN LIVING CELL NUCLEI
- Contact hours (10hrs)
- Opening Lecture (2hrs) - ask the questions, indicate the direction of reasoning, provide tips on where and how to get information, introducing the online content, introducing the assignments.
- Intermediate meeting 1 with groups (2hrs) to assess the progress made, investigate doubts, raise any other question
- intermediate lecture (2 hrs) to focus lecturing on critical aspects emerging from intermediate meeting 1
- intermediate meeting 2 with groups (2hrs) to assess the progress made, investigate doubts, raise any other question
- Final meeting (2hrs) with the groups that conclude the initiated reasoning, comment the peer-assessments and introduce the themes/tasks to be developed/accomplished for the portfolio
- Personal study (16 hrs)
- Students gain first exposure to new material outside of class, usually via reading or lecture videos (3 hrs)
- Homework (13 hrs) will be assigned as teamwork and will consist of assignments represented by short essay/problem solving, mind maps, flowcharts, question design.
- group exercises (GA = GAssignment) - produced by teamwork, subject to peer assessment, it can be inserted into the Portfolio at the discretion of the student.
- individual exercises (IA = IAssignment) - produced individually, may be subject to peer verification, it must be inserted into Portfolio.
- Groups must perform and submit exercises in time for comments during the interim bout (according to the schedule set in each unit), in order to get peer-to-peer (formative assessments) between the intermediate and the final meeting. During the meetings, the most relevant feedback is commented on by the teacher and discussed with the class.
- Peer assessment and summative assessment will be based on rubrics shared, discussed and agreed upon between the teacher and the students
- Students will provide the Portfolio with a final self-assessment document whereby they present and discuss the competencies they have achieved. The completed final version of the Portfolio must be submitted at the end of the lecture period and before the first exam session.
- Students will discuss their work and demonstrate the achievement of the competencies identified in their self-assessment document in a final oral examination
Established Goals:
- Knowledge of the relationship between nucleic acid structure and function, Genetic information,
- Knowledge of the relevance of nuclear architecture to gene function
- Understanding that the regulation of gene expression is the key to health as opposed to unhealthy cell
- Students will connect the above concepts to the concept of cell and organism health and diseases by understanding the role that DNA structure has in establishing the 3D architecture of nuclear chromatin, as well as the role that 3d chromatin architecture has in controlling a cell's genetic program and wellness.
Students will understand that...
- The dimension of the whole DNA molecules and of the nuclei they will fit into is in a 10^9:1 ratio
- DNA in a cell's nucleus must be organized into 3D or it won't fit + won't work
- More than one type of information is stored into DNA
- 3D distribution of information affects usage and is hence information itself
- The 3D organization of DNA in nuclei is hierarchical
- The genome is modular in nature and blocks can be switched on/off/reshaped by very simple DNA-protein interactions
- Nuclear chromosome territories are not random
- Chromosome proximity is not random in living cell nuclei
- 3D architecture can turn accidents to the DNA fibre into lethal situation
Students will know...
- The structure of DNA
- The definition of gene, genome, functional element
- The structure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genes
- The chromatin and chromatin states
- The nucleosomes
- The epigenetic information
- The mechanisms deploying epigenetic information
- The chromosome territories
- The nuclear Compartments and TADs
- The CTCF, cohesin and regulation of 3D architecture
- The consequences of cell-type specific territories on chromosome structure
Expected Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to . . .
- knowledge and understanding
- Describe the experimental evidence demonstrating the existence of transmissible information between cells and which biomolecule carries information in living cells
- Relate shape and function of DNA
- Explain the concept of gene
- Describe experimental evidence proving the existence of genes
- Define chromatin and its components
- Describe a nucleosome
- Explain how interactions between histones and DNA generate different states of chromatin condensation
- Identify the main mechanisms organizing a locus' 3D architecture
- Define epigenetic information and explain its function
- Describe how epigenetic information could be involved in human diseases
- Applied knowledge and understanding
- Predict the state of a region of the DNA fibre (presence of loops, assignment to compartment), according to the presence of specific sequences and the known regulation of the contained genes
- Predict how the presence of specific genes and their regulation state could affect other genetic phenomena such as chromosomal rearrangements
- Relate the 3D state of any given region of DNA to genome function, trying to draw general conclusions as to which are expected to be the most frequent consequences of locally altered 3D architecture
- Describe how abnormal 3D architecture could cause diseases in humans
- Making judgements
- Ability to identify the information needed to solve a problem concerning the relationship between a malfunction of DNA folding into high order chromatin fibres and human diseases from various sources
- Ability to evaluate the relevant aspect of an original problem relative to chromatin architecture and act accordingly to identify the information necessary to solve it
- Communication skills
- Demonstrate preparation of explanatory texts and illustrative material (pictures, presentations, essays, concept maps etc) to clearly communicate their theories their knowledge and skills
- learning skills
- reflect on their own learning path proving to grasp the strengths and weaknesses
identifying effective strategies to improve their performance
- reflect on their own learning path proving to grasp the strengths and weaknesses
Overall student workload: 26 hours
UNIT 2: REPLICATION AND REPAIR OF THE GENOME
- Contact hours (10hrs)
- Opening Lecture (2hrs) - ask the questions, indicate the direction of reasoning, provide tips on where and how to get information, introducing the online content, introducing the assignments.
- Intermediate meeting 1 with groups (2hrs) to assess the progress made, investigate doubts, raise any other question
- Intermediate lecture (2 hrs) to focus lecturing on critical aspects emerging from intermediate meeting 1
- Intermediate meeting 2 with groups (2hrs) to assess the progress made, investigate doubts, raise any other question
- Final meeting (2hrs) with the groups that conclude the initiated reasoning, comment the peer-assessments and introduce the themes/tasks to be developed/accomplished for the portfolio
- Personal study (16 hrs)
- Students gain first exposure to new material outside of class, usually via reading or lecture videos (3 hrs)
- Homework portfolio (13 hrs) will be assigned as teamwork and will consist of assignments represented by short essay/problem solving, mind maps, flowcharts, question design, peer-assessments, summative-assessment and self-assessment.
- group exercises (GA = GAssignment) - produced by teamwork, subject to peer assessment, it can be inserted into the Portfolio at the discretion of the student.
- individual exercises (IA = IAssignment) - produced individually, may be subject to peer verification, it must be inserted into Portfolio.
- Groups must perform and submit exercises in time for comments during the interim bout (according to the schedule set in each unit) , in order to get peer-to-peer (formative assessments) between the intermediate and the final meeting. During the meetings, the most relevant feedback is commented on by the teacher and discussed with the class.
- Peer assessment and summative assessment will be based on rubrics shared, discussed and agreed upon between the teacher and the students
- Students will provide the Portfolio with a final self-assessment document whereby they present and discuss the skills they have achieved. The completed final version of the Portfolio must be submitted at the end of the lecture period and before the first exam session.
- Students will discuss their work and demonstrate the achievement of the skills identified in their self-assessment document in a final oral examination
Established Goals:- Knowledge of the mechanism of the DNA synthesis process
- Knowledge of the regulatory aspects of genome replication
- Knowledge of the strategy of DNA repair pathways and of their functional connections to the DNA replication process
- The students will connect the above concepts to the maintenance of the integrity of genetic information as well as to the health of a cell and of an individual
Students will understand that...
- The complementarity of bases is crucial to a wide range of phenomena
- The genome needs to be replicated as a whole, yet "completeness" cannot be the only rule and DNA replication needs to be finely regulated
- DNA replication aims at replicating all the information contained by DNA, including epigenetic information
- Replication of DNA and the reversibility of epigenetic information make replication an opportunity to reprogram cells
- DNA damage can result from physiological processes
- DNA damage and genetic mutations are related but distinct phenomena
- DNA damage results in a wide variety of structures and the strategy to recognize them must be simple and sophisticated at the same time
- DNA repair pathways differ mostly in their strategy and resemble each other in the mechanics of the repair process
Students will know ...
- The structure of a replicon
- The structure and function of the prokaryotic and eukaryotic replisome
- The function of the enzymes is not part of the replisome and is involved in the replicative process.
- The mechanism of DNA synthesis
- The structure of a replication bubble immediately after replisome has synthesized new strands
- The types of replication origin
- The protein complexes interacting with the origins at different stages
- The recognition, licensing and firing phases
- The extra functions of the replisome
- The replication foci
- The replication factories
- The types of DNA damage
- The strategy to recognize different types of DNA damage
- The strategies to repair DNA
- The functional interactions between replication and repair
Expected Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to . . .
- knowledge and understanding
- describe the evidence for the semiconservative model of DNA replication
- describe structural and functional differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic replication origins
- describe the structure of replicative machinery and list the enzymatic and non-enzymatic functions of the components
- explain the mechanisms to synchronize DNA replication and cell proliferation (or cell cycle) in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
- describe the structure and function of telomeres
- explain the problem of telomere replication and the mechanisms involved to solve it
- explain the need for regulating both quantitatively and qualitatively DNA replication in eukaryotic.
- explain the strategy for Epigenome replication
- discuss the differences in the need for quantitative control of DNA replication in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
- describe the structure and function of centromeres
- describe the principal chemical damages to DNA and the effect they can have on DNA
- describe the principal mechanisms of damage recognition
- describe the principal pathways of DNA repair
- describe the molecular structures and the components involved as a mechanical machinery
- relate DNA repair to other metabolic aspects of DNA
- discuss the regulatory network necessary to carry on the mechanical steps AND to fulfil the quantitative and qualitative requirements of DNA replication/mitosis/karyokinesis at the same time
- applied knowledge and understanding
- relate alterations in the DNA replication process to their effects on human health
- make hypotheses about the possible link between a simple pathology and malfunction for the DNA repair/replication system
- making judgements
- ability to identify the information needed to solve a problem concerning the relationship between health and DNA replication/DNA repair
- ability to evaluate the relevant aspect of an original problem relative to DNA repair and act accordingly to identify the information necessary to solve it
- communication skills
- demonstrate the preparation of explanatory texts and illustrative material (pictures, presentations, essays, concept maps etc) to know clearly communicate their theories their knowledge and skills
- learning skills
- reflect on their own learning path proving to learn to grasp the strengths and weaknesses
- identifying effective attitudes to improve their performance
Overall student workload: 26 hours
Unit 01 GENETIC HEREDITY IN HUMANS
Overall student workload 26 hrs
- Lectures (8 contact hrs)
- Genetic stability and variability, Monofactorial characters and Mendel's laws
- Autosomal and X-linked characters
- Mitochondrial inheritance of diseases
- Heredity polygenic characters
- Molecular analysis of human loci
- Student activities (4 hrs)
- Adaptive thinking and reasoning skills: Interpretation of family trees
- Reasoning skills: Problem-solving on human disease inheritance
- Personal study (14 hrs)
Unit 02 MUTATIONS, POPULATION GENETICS AND NON MENDELIAN INHERITANCE
Overall student workload: 26 hrs
- Lectures (8 contact hrs)
- The point, chromosomal and genomic mutations
- Genetic variability and its modulation inside populations
- Overview on non mendelian inheritance
- Student activities (4 contact hrs)
- Reasoning skills: problem-solving on population genetics
- Critical thinking and inquiry skills: problem-based discussion on innovative therapies
- Personal study (14 hrs)
- Human genetics (HG; 2 credits)
Suggested readings and bibliography
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- Book
- Title:
- MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL
- Year of publication:
- 2021
- Publisher:
- W. Norton
- Author:
- B. Alberts
- ISBN
- Required:
- Yes
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- Book
- Title:
- ESSENTIAL CELL BIOLOGY
- Year of publication:
- 2019
- Publisher:
- W Norton
- Author:
- B. Alberts
- ISBN
- Required:
- No
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- Book
- Title:
- GENETICS IN MEDICINE 8th edition
- Year of publication:
- 2016
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Author:
- Thompson and Thompson
- ISBN
- Required:
- No
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- Reference Textbook: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL, B. Alberts et al., 7th edition, W.W. Norton. (Access moodle webpage for discount codes)
- Students with a low biological background are advised to study the Essential edition before moving on to the full edition.
- Teaching materials, lecture recordings and primary research literature assigned by lecturers are posted in moodle learning platform.
All course materials are copyrighted by the university and the individual instructors. Unauthorized distribution of these materials could violate the University Academic Integrity Policy and may subject you to disciplinary action.
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Note
Students with DSA or disabilities are kindly requested to take note of the reception services and support services offered by the University of Turin, and in particular of the procedures required for exam support.
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