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Knowledge of the General chemistry, Inorganic chemistry and Organic chemistry.
An introduction to the molecular design of life (water, carbohydrates, lipids, aminoacids and proteins). Learning about the main metabolic pathways involved in the degradation of carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids (catabolism), energy transduction and storage, and synthesis of endogenous molecules (anabolism); regulation of the metabolism and correlations between the various metabolic pathways and the metabolism of various organs and/or tissues in different physiological conditions (i.e. fed and fasted state); the hormones involved in the metabolism regulation and their mechanism of action at molecular level. The most important biochemical methods and techniques used in laboratory.
The first part of the course focuses on the structural and functional aspects of the biological molecules, particularly to proteins; enzymes and enzymatic kinetic; vitamins; biological membranes. The second part focuses on bioenergetics-, the oxidative metabolism and its hormonal regulation; the carbohydrate metabolism; the lepidic metabolism; the aminoacids metabolism; the citric acid cycle; the oxidative phosphorylation; the nucleotide metabolism; the regulation of metabolism; the biosignaling. The third part will focus on the most important biochemical methods including tissue homogenization, centrifugation techniques, extraction and purification of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, electrophoretic, chromatographyc and immunological techniques, for the study of cellular metabolism, advanced microscopy techniques.
The molecular logic of life. The elements of biochemical interest and covalent bond. The biomolecules and water: the weak interactions in an aqueous environment. pH, buffer solutions and Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. The amino acids and the peptide bond. The three-dimensional structure of proteins: secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure. Myoglobin and hemoglobin. Enzymes: classification, mechanism of action and Michaelis-Menten equation. Regulation of enzymatic activity: activation and inhibition. Modulation of metabolic pathways through regulatory enzymes. Vitamins. Principles of bioenergetics. Redox reactions of biochemical interest. Glycolysis and its regulation. Lactic and alcoholic fermentation. Yield of respiration. The Krebs cycle and its regulation. The oxidative phosphorylation. The breakdown of triglycerides and the β-oxidation of fatty acids. Catabolism of amino acids and the urea cycle. Reductive biosynthesis: general characteristics. Gluconeogenesis and glycogen metabolism Notes on the biosynthesis of AA and their derivatives The ketone bodies The glyoxylate cycle The biosynthesis of fatty acids of triglycerides and complex lipids. The biological membranes. Biosynthesis of cholesterol and lipid transport in the blood stream. Derivatives of cholesterol. Biosynthesis and degradation of nitrogenous bases and nucleotides. Hormones: structure and mechanism of action. Biochemistry of the major organs. Methods of tissue homogenization and separations of subcellular fractions by centrifugation techniques. Extraction and purification of proteins by chromatographic techniques. Electrophoresys, isoelectrofocalization, western blot techniques. Cellular metabolism analysis. Microscopial analysis of molecula interactions. Expression of recombinant proteins.
NELSON D.L., COX M.M.: I principi di Biochimica di Lehninger, Zanichelli VOET D., VOET J.G., PRATT C.W.: Fondamenti di Biochimica, Zanichelli DEVLIN T.M.: Biochimica con aspetti clinici, EdiSES BERG J.M., TYMOCZKO J.L., STRYER L.: BIOCHIMICA. Zanichelli TYMOCZKO J.L., BERG J.M., STRYER L.: PRINCIPI DI BIOCHIMICA, Zanichelli MULLER-ESTERL W.: Biochimica per Studenti di Scienze della Vita, Idelson-Gnocchi Wilson K, Walker J, Metodologia Biochimica, Raffaello Cortina editore Wilson K, Walker J, Principles and Techniques of Pratical Biochemistry, Cambridge University Editor De Marco, Cini C, Principi di metodologia Biochimica, Piccin
The teacher presents lectures. All the material used in the lectures (Slides & Co) will be available to students.
Oral examination; the chemical formulas of the biochemical compounds are require).