Portale di Ateneo - En.Unibs.it

Cell biology
Regulation of gene expression
• Cell biology principles. Eukaryotic cells: origin and evolution; structure and functions. Somatic and germinal cells.
• Molecular structure and function of the cytoplamic organelles in eukaryotic cells. Mitochondria, mitochondrial DNA, its transcription and translation, protein localization and export in mitochondria. Nucleous and nuclear membrane, nuclear import and export. DNA organization, from double helix to chromosome. Endoplasmic reticulum: post-traslational modificazions of proteins, localization of proteins, post- and co-translation import of proteins. Golgi apparatus: proteins’ glycosilation. Cytoskeleton and plasma membrane. Mechanisms of action of plasma membrane: receptors, cell junctions, ionic channels. Cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion. Fibronectin, collagens and integrins. Cell migration. Signal transduction tyrosin kinase receptor-mediated, G proteins-mediated, cyclic AMP.
• Cell cycle and its regulation in check-points. Role of retinoblastoma protein and E2F factor in G0/G1 check-point, p53 and p21 role, cyclin-CdK complexes, APC complex, securin and cohesins. Growth factors’ role in cell cycle.
• The programmed cell death and necrosis. Apoptosis’ mechanisms, caspases, IAP proteins and Diablo-smac.
• Gene expression regulation in eukaryotic cells: signals, mechanisms and levels. Mechanisms: plasma membrane and cytoplamic receptors. Levels: 1. DNA structure (methylation, gene amplification, somatic mutation, somatic recombination and immunoglobulin genes); 2. transcription (chromatin structure, gene structure and promoter, regulation of the start and the end of transcription, enhancers, silencers, cis- and trans-acting elements); role of RNA polymerases 3. transcripts processing (polyadenilation, capping and splicing) and tissue- and cell-specific alternative splicing (fibronectin, troponin T, alpha-tropomyosin, calcitonin and CGPR); alternative promoters and alternative polyadenila