LEARNING OUTCOMES

We aim at giving fundamental knowledge on the structure and metabolism (anabolism and catabolism) of biomolecules, with a special focus on metabolism, integration and functional integration of human organs.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students will learn to recognize, write and describe the structure of the main biomolecules (lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, nucleotides). In addition, they will be able to distinguish the main anabolic and catabolic pathways, connecting them in the different metabolic conditions. They should be able to understand and discuss the role of enzymatic regulation (also with knowledge of Kinetics and thermodynamic) in the different metabolic pathways.  Students should be able to correlate the signaling pathways activating different metabolic response in different organs, with a focus on the (dys)functional integration between different human organs.

TEACHING METHODS

Frontal Teaching. Seminars. Examples of the use of elementary biomedical databases to search information.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

• Structure, properties and functions of aminoacids and proteins.
• Enzymology. Enzymatic kinetics. Michaelis-Menten's equation. Enzyme inhibition. Allosteric enzymes. Properties and classification of enzymes. Vitamins as coenzymes.
• Proteins that bind and transport oxygen; myoglobin and hemoglobin: structural properties and saturation curves. Cooperativeness.
• Principles of bioenergetics and biosignalling.
• Role of ATP and other phosphorous compounds. General principles of metabolism, catabolism, anabolism.
• Carbohydrate metabolism: Glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and regulation. Ketone bodies. Glycogen synthesis, glycogen lysis and their reciprocal regulation in muscle and liver. Pentose phosphate pathway: oxidative and non-oxidative phase, metabolic meaning and regulation. Glutathione. Clinical tests for glucose metabolism.
• The citric acid cycle. Pyruvate in mitochondria. Pyruvate dehydrogenase. AcetilCoA. Cycle regulation.
• Oxidative phosphorylation. Flow of electrons on respiratory chain complexes. Structures and functions of cofactors involved in the transport of electrons. Proton gradient formation. Chemiosmotic coupling. ATP synthase. Structure and function. Coupling of ATP synthesis with the proton gradient and oxygen consumption.
• Lipid metabolism. Lipases and regulation of the metabolism of triacylglycerol. Fatty acids: activation, transport mechanism, β-oxidation. Regulation. Energy yield for palmitate oxidation. Biosynthesis of fatty acids and triacylglycerol. Clinical tests for lipid metabolism.
• Protein catabolism. Transamination and deamination of glutamate. Ketogenic and glucogenic amino acids. Urea cycle and its regulation. Clinical tests for protein metabolism.
• Metabolic correlations between organs.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

“Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry”, David L. Nelson, Michael M. Cox. Ed. Zanichelli.