Subject

Cell Biology II

  • code 13471
  • course 1
  • term Semester 2
  • type FB
  • credits 4

Matter: BIOLOGY

Main language of instruction: English

Other languages of instruction: Catalan, Spanish

Teaching staff

Head instructor

Dra. Veronica VENTURI - vventuri@uic.es

Other instructors

Dr. Francisco Miguel TORRES - fmtorres@uic.es
Dra. Mayka SÁNCHEZ - msanchezfe@uic.es

Office hours


Students are welcomed to consult lecturers at the end of each class. For enquiries outside of class, students can email or make an appointment by email: Dr Veronica Venturi (vventuri@uic.es).

Introduction

Cells do not live in isolation: they have evolved a variety of signalling mechanisms to accomplish the transmission of biological information. Cell signalling is an up-and-coming area of biomedical investigation that is gaining prominence due to advances in biophysical methods and their integration with molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics.

The course focus on cell communication. As such, it offers an overview on how cells exploit signalling components to assemble the specific biological pathways, which they ultimately require to communicate which one other and adapt to the outside environment.

Pre-course requirements

No prerequisite course required; however, knowledge concepts of molecular and cell biology from the previous modules are strongly advised.

Objectives

The aim of this course is to provide the knowledge on basic and health-related cell signalling. After course completion, the student will understand the main signalling pathways governing the transmission of cellular messages, as well as biochemical and molecular aspects associated with information transmission.

Competences / Learning outcomes of the degree programme

  • Understand and recognize the effects, mechanisms and manifestations of cell communication on cellular functions.
  • Transmit in a clear and unambiguous way to a specialised or non-specialised audience, the results of scientific and technological research projects and innovation from the field of the most advanced innovation, as well as the most important concepts which they are based on.
  • Understand, critically evaluate and know how to use sources of clinical and biomedical information to obtain, organize, interpret and communicate scientific and health care information.
  • Be able to formulate hypotheses, collect and critically evaluate information for problem solving using the scientific method.
  • Ability for critical thinking, creativity and constructive skepticism with a focus on research within professional practice.

Learning outcomes of the subject

At the completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify and summarize the key principles of cell communication.

• Apply main concepts of cell signalling to draw conclusions from research literature to case studies.

• Review the relevant literature to position the proposed study within the existing research.

• Elaborate information from scientific literature into effective and informative oral scientific presentations.

Syllabus

Theme 1. General Principles of Cell Communication

Theme 2. Characterization of Signalling Components

Theme 3. Integration and Amplification of Signals

Theme 4. Receptors

Theme 5. Messengers

Theme 6. G-protein Signal Trasduction

Theme 7. cAMP

Theme 8. Serine/ Threonine Kinases/Phosphatases

Theme 9. Cell signalling and Calcium

Theme 10. Cell signaling and Apoptosis

Theme 11. Cell signalling in Translational Control and Protein Synthesis

Theme 12. Cell signalling in Neuroscience

Theme 13. Signalling Defects and Diseases

Teaching and learning activities

In person

With a strive to create a positive and fearless learning environment, the course accounts for different types of classes in order to maintain tight links between theoretical cellular biology and basic scientific research.

Lectures: 50-minute theoretical classes. 

Case Methods: Hands-on classes. Students work on the assigned task in small groups followed by discussion in class. Cases provide a rich, contextual way to introduce new material and create opportunities for students to apply the material they have learned in the lectures.

Virtual Education: Online material that students can consult from any computer, at any time and that will contribute to self-learning concepts related to the subject.

 

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person

Attendance to lectures is not compulsory. If attending, punctuality is required   Attendance to the case methods is a priori not compulsory; however, not attending a class will result in a 0 (zero) score for that specific class. Therefore, in case the assistance to any given session is not possible, a justification of absence must be sent to the appropriate teacher well in advance.   Attendance to laboratory classes is compulsory. In case the student cannot attend, a justification must be sent to the course coordinator and laboratory teacher well in advance. Non-justified absence means an automatic failure of the course.   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 points, and the no-answer counting 0 points).   To pass the course, the student must score a minimum grade of 5.0 in the final exam.     The course is evaluated as following:

Students in first call: 

  • 20% Midterm exam. 
  • 15% Participation and attitude in the Laboratory sessions and exam score.
  • 20% Preparation, participation and attitude in the case methods. 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 averaged 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 average 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. 

     

 

 

Bibliography and resources

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

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

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 03/06/2020 14:00h
  • E2 19/06/2020 14:00h
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