AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students will be requested to get acquainted with eukaryotic cell morphology and functions at structural, ultrastructural and molecular level.

During the course, students are given some knowledge assessment tests to which students respond individually and anonymously. Immediately after each test, feedback is provided by the teacher, who immediately shows the correct answers. A moment of discussion of the topics that emerged in the test follows, with the possibility for the teacher to clarify any doubts.

TEACHING METHODS

Citology module includes 2 CFU of lectures.

It is possible that the method of conducting the lessons is changed due to emergency situations that prevent the performance of the lessons in classroom. In this case, the lessons will be carried out online by the use of the Teams IT platform.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Structure and molecular organization of plasma membrane: the mosaic fluid model; membrane lipids and their properties; extrinsic and intrinsic proteins; composition and functions of the glycocalyx. Transport of small molecules across the plasma membrane.

Transport vesicles. Processes of vesicle formation and detachment: Clathrin protein, Adaptin proteins, COP proteins, Dynamin protein. Specificity of transport and vesicle fusion processes: Rab protein, v-SNARE and t-SNARE. Transport of macromolecules across the plasma membrane. Constitutive and regulated exocytosis. The endocytosis: pinocytosis, endocytosis mediated by receptor, phagocytosis, phagocytosis of self cells. Transcytosis, Exosomes.

Composition of the cytosol. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum: structure, role in lipid metabolism, in detoxification processes, in glycogenolysis and calcium accumulation.

Ultrastructural organization and function of granular endoplasmic reticulum. Free ribosomes and ribosomes associated with membranes. Main stages in the translation process. Post-translational modifications of proteins, glycosylation, role of molecular chaperones.

Golgi complex: ultrastructure, biosynthetic processes, post-translational modifications of proteins (mainly glycosylation) and sorting of molecules synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum.

Early and late endosomes. Lysosomes: biogenesis, morphology, hydrolytic enzymes. Autophagy. Secretory lysosomes. Secretory lysosomes and genetic diseases. Secretory lysosomes and immune cells.

Mechanisms for the degradation of cytoplasmic proteins: the ubiquitin-proteasome system.

The peroxisome: structure and functions. Mention of diseases associated with dysfunction of peroxisomes

Mitochondria: morphology, distribution and replication. MAM, mitochondria-associated membranes. Mitochondrial protein import. Mitochondrial genome. Mention of association between mutations in the mitochondrial genome and diseases. Localization and function of mitochondrial enzyme complexes: the main aspects of the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Role  of mitochondria in apoptosis, steroid hormones and heme group synthesis.

Thermogenic role in brown adipose tissue. Endosymbiotic theory.

The cytoskeleton. Microtubules, microfilaments and intermediate filaments: molecular organization and distribution in the cell. Protein associated to microtubules (chinesine and dynein) and to microfilaments (actin binding proteins). The centrosome. The cilia: structure and function.

Cell nucleus, nuclear envelope and nuclear pore complex. Nucleocytoplasmic transport. Chromatin and nuclear matrix. Euchromatin and heterochromatin. The nucleolus: structure and molecular organization; the synthesis of rRNA and assembly of ribosomal subunits.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alberts et al.; "L'essenziale di biologia molecolare della cellula"; Zanichelli Editori.

Zaccheo e Pestarino; "Citologia, istologia e anatomia microscopica"; Pearson

Maraldi e Tacchetti; "Biologia-Citologia medica"; Edi Ermes