Subject

Cell Biology I

  • code 13467
  • course 1
  • term Semester 1
  • type FB
  • credits 6

Matter: BIOLOGY

Main language of instruction: Spanish

Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English

Teaching staff

Head instructor

Dr. Francisco Miguel TORRES - fmtorres@uic.es

Other instructors

Dra. Cristina MIRALPEIX - cmiralpeixm@uic.es
Dra. Silvia Núria PEÑUELAS - spenuelas@uic.es

Office hours

Students can ask any question regarding the course and the content, or set an appointment with the coordinator or directly with any of the teachers, using the email:

Course coordinator, magisterial classes, case methods: Miquel Bosch: miquelbosch@uic.es

Part of magisterial classes: Francisco Miguel Torres:  fmtorres@uic.es

Laboratory teacher: Lídia Romero: lromerocor@uic.es

Introduction

The cell is the basic functional unit of all living beings. Cell biology is responsible for the study of cells and their properties: their structure, their functions, their composition, their interaction with the environment and their life cycle. The mission of cell biology is the understanding of the functioning of cellular systems, including the functions of their subcellular components; Its internal regulation and its relationship with external agents. It is complemented with the study areas of Histology, Physiology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry.

Pre-course requirements

Previous scientific training (highschool level), including: 

  • Knowledge of the bases of biochemistry (types of biological molecules, their basic regulation and structure). 
  • Knowledge about the basic processes of biological regulation (transcription, translation, etc.). 
  • Knowledge about the chemical and physical bases of life (concept of pH, concentration gradients, etc.).

Objectives

  • Identify cellular structures, cellular organelles and know their function and biological relevance.
  • Understand the general intra and extracellular communication processes.
  • Understand the concept of cell cycle and its regulation.
  • Understand the fundamentals of cell regulation at the organizational level in organs and tissues, homeostasis, cell renewal and pluri- and multipotency.
  • Understand the process of gametogenesis, meiosis and fecundation, at the cellular level.
  • Explain the process of embryo formation and the early stages of human embryonic development at the cellular level.
  • Understand and assess the applicability of cellular models in biomedicine.

Competences / Learning outcomes of the degree programme

  • Identify cellular structures, cellular organelles and know their function and biological relevance. 
  • Understand the general intra and extracellular communication processes. 
  • Understand the concept of cell cycle and its regulation. 
  • Understand the fundamentals of cell regulation at the organizational level in organs and tissues, homeostasis, cell renewal and pluri- and multipotency. 
  • Understand the process of gametogenesis, meiosis and fecundation. Explain the process of embryo formation and the early stages of human embryonic development at the cellular level. 
  • Understand and assess the applicability of cellular models in biomedicine.

Learning outcomes of the subject

At the end of the course, the student:
  • Know the structure and composition of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells.
  • Knows the structure and function of animal cells, and acquires an integrated view at the molecular, structural and functional levels of cellular structures.
  • Understand and properly use scientific terminology and concepts used in the field of cell biology.
  • Search, organize and effectively communicate scientific information.
  • Develop a critical spirit.
  • Train the ability to discuss complex concepts and present hypotheses.

Syllabus

Chapter 1 Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell organization

Chapter 2 Plasma membrane structure

Chapter 3 Molecular transport through the plasma membrane

Chapter 4 Cytoskeleton

Chapter 5 Cell junctions

Chapter 6 Nucleus

Chapter 7 Endoplasmic reticulum

Chapter 8 Gogli apparatus

Chapter 9 Endosomes, lisosomes and vacuoles

Chapter 10 Vesicular transport: secretory and endocytic pathways

Chapter 11 Mitochondria and peroxisomes

Chapter 12 Intracelular protein transport

Chapter 13 The cell cycle

Chapter 14 Germ cells and fecundation

Chapter 15 Meiosis

Chapter 16 Embryonic development

Chapter 17 Cell organization in tissues

Chapter 18 Differentiated cells and tissue homeostasis

Teaching and learning activities

In person

  • Lecture class 
  • Team work 
  • Individual work 
  • Debate 
  • Public presentation

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person

Students in first call: 

  • 20% Midterm exam
  • 15% Laboratory sessions participation, attitude, and laboratory test. 
  • 20% Preparation, participation and attitude in case methods. The score will be the average of each session.
  • 45% Final exam

 

Students in second call: will do an exam in July that will count 65% of the final grade and that will average with the grade of laboratory sessions (15%), and preparation of the case methods (20%) obtained in the first call. Midterm exam will not be taken into account.

Students with two or more than two deadlines: they will do the final exam of each call that will count 65% of the final grade and that will averaged with the laboratory sesions grade (15%), and preparation of the case methods (20%) obtained in the first announcement. Whenever they wish, the students can repeat the attendance to the laboratory practices and case methods to obtain a new grade. 

General points to keep in mind about the evaluation system: 

1) To pass the course, in the final exam a minimum grade of 5.0 must be obtained. 

2) Attendance to laboratory practices is mandatory. In case the student cannot attend a given session, a justification must be sent to the course coordinator in advance. Non-justified non-attendance means an automatic failure of the course.  

3) Class participation is understood as the contribution of interesting ideas or the posing of pertinent questions that help to improve the quality of the session, be it a magisterial lesson, lab session or case method. 

4) The exams will be a combination of questions with short written answers, and test type questions (with 4 answer options, the correct anwer counting +1 points, the incorrect answers counting -0.33 point, and the no-answer counting 0 points). 

5) Attendance to magistral lectures is not mandatory, but students must accept the norms that the professor indicate. 

6) Atendance to case methods is mandatory (>80% of sessions).  In case the student cannot attend a given session, a justification must be sent to the course coordinator in advance. Non-justified non-attendance (<80%) means an automatic failure of the course.

 

Bibliography and resources

Alberts B. et al., Essential Cell Biology. Fourth edition (2013), or fifth edition (2018). Garland Science.

Alberts B, et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 6th edition. Garland Science, 2015.

Lodish H, et al. Molecular Cell Biology. 7th edition Macmillan Learning, 2013 (8th edition, 2016).

Alberts, B et al. Biología Molecular de la Célula. 6ª edición. Ediciones Omega 2016.

Lodish et al. Biología Celular y Molecular. 7ª edición. Editorial Médica Panamericana S.A. 2016.

 

Evaluation period

E: exam date | R: revision date | 1: first session | 2: second session:

  • E1 31/10/2019 16:00h A02
  • E1 17/01/2020 16:00h A15
  • E2 19/06/2020 16:00h
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