Cell Biology B
Objectives
The fundamental objective of this UC is the acquisition of knowledge regarding the structure of the eukaryotic cell, and the function of the main organelles, as well as the form of cell-extracellular and cell-cell communication.
It is expected that by the end of this course students will have achieved the following general competences: i) understand the functional organization of the eukaryotic cell; ii) characterization of p.v. structural and functional the main cellular organelles; iii) expose the mechanisms involved in cell-extracellular medium communication; iv) identify cellular mechanisms involved in cell-cell communication.
Finally, the student is expected to acquire research skills of recent literature on topics taught and be able to make an exposition and critical discussion of topics taught in lectures.
General characterization
Code
10520
Credits
3.0
Responsible teacher
Margarida Casal Ribeiro Castro Caldas Braga
Hours
Weekly - 1
Total - 27
Teaching language
Português
Prerequisites
None
Bibliography
Molecular Cell Biology
Lodish H, Berk A, Kaiser CA, Krieger M, Bretscher A, Ploegh H, Amon A, Scott MP
7th Ed. WH Freeman & Company, NY, 2012
. Molecular Biology of the Cell
Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, Raff M, Roberts K, Walter P
5th Ed. Garland Science, NY, 2007
. The World of the Cell
Hardin J, Bertoni GP, Kleinsmith LJ, ,
8th Ed. Benjamin Cummings Publ. Co., 2010
. The Cell. A molecular Approach
Cooper GM, Hausman RE
5th Ed. Sinauer Associates Inc., 2009
. Principles of Cell Biology 3rd Editio
.Biologia Celular e Molecular
Ed. Carlos Azevedo e Cláudio Sunkel. Ed Lidel
. Scientific papers
Teaching method
Available soon
Evaluation method
Available soon
Subject matter
T classes – Cell Biology
1. The eukaryotic cell
. The cell theory
. Major structural differences between eukaryotic cells and prokaryotic cells
. The eukaryotic cell as a fundamental tissue unit and as a boundary unit of the various organelles
. The main eukaryotic cell organelles
2. Cell Membrane and Biological Transport
. Structure and composition of cell membranes: Fluid Mosaic Model
. Different types of active and passive transport
. Ion channels and membrane transporters
. Important gradients in physiological processes
. Integration and interplay of transport activity in a cell
. Distribution of transporters and cell function
3. Characterization of eukaryotic cell organelles
3.1. Endomembranous system:
. Subcellular location, relative size, structure and function of smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus
. The role of the rough endoplasmic reticulum in protein synthesis
. Transport and sorting of proteins through the endoplasmic reticulum and the different cisterns of the Golgi apparatus
. Classic protein secretion pathway
3.2. Lysosomes:
. Structural and functional characterization of lysosomes
. Transport via the Golgi trans network and lysosome formation
. Lysosome maturation
. Lysosomal acid hydrolases
. Lysosomes involved in nutrition and cell defense processes: characterization of different types of autophagy (macroautophagy, microautophagy and chaperone-mediated autophagy)
. The importance of autophagy in physiological and pathological processes
3.3. Peroxisomes:
. Structural and functional characterization of peroxisomes
. Peroxisome formation
. Importance of peroxisomes in metabolic pathways
. Changes in peroxisomal activity and relationship to pathologies
3.4. Mitochondria:
. Structural and functional characterization of mitochondria
. Mitochondrial genome
. Regulation of the active mitochondrial population (fission, fusion and mitophagy)
. Pathological changes related to loss of mitochondrial homeostasis
. The central role of mitochondria in metabolism and cell death by apoptosis.
4. Intracellular Signaling and Signal Transduction Mechanisms
. Communication by extracellular signals and types of extracellular signals.
. Main intracellular signaling pathways and signal transduction: Signaling by intracellular receptors (receptors of cholesterol-derived ligands) and signaling by cell surface receptors (receptors linked to the activity of G proteins).
. Methods of identification, characterization and modulation of some signal transduction pathways through the presentation of practical cases.
5. Cytoskeleton:
. Structural and functional characterization of the cytoskeleton
. Microtubules, microfilaments (actin filaments) and intermediate filaments. Intracellular transport dependent on motor proteins (kinesins and dyneins)
. Participation of cytoskeleton elements in cell homeostasis
TP classes – Cell Biology
Solving exercises and problems, and searching for current scientific literature, individually or in groups, on the subject of the previous theoretical class:
. Eukaryotic cell and cell membrane
. Endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus
. Lysosomes and peroxisomes
. Mitochondria
. Cell signaling pathways
. Cytoskeleton