BIOCHEMISTRY
Academic year and teacher
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2022/2023
- Teacher
- RICCARDO GAVIOLI
- Credits
- 9
- Didactic period
- Primo Semestre
- SSD
- BIO/10
Training objectives
- 1. Knowledge and understanding of the chemical nature and structure of the constituents of living matter, of biomolecule transformations, of energy changes associated with them and of the structure and function of nucleic acids.
2. Ability to apply knowledge in the context of the functioning of cellular processes as a whole.
3. Laboratory activities will have the task of making students understand how basic knowledge can be used to investigate macromolecules and their properties and functions. Prerequisites
- Basic knowledge of Biology, General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry.
Passing the Organic Chemistry exam is the prerequisite for taking the Biochemistry exam. Course programme
- The course forecasts 72 hours of teaching divided in frontal lectures (64 hours) and guided lab activities (12 hours).
Topics of the lessons are:
Introduction to Biochemistry (4 hours): Cell and organelles, composition of living matter, configuration of the carbon atom, molecules, covalent and non-covalent bonds, properties of water.
Nucleotides (2 hours): structure and function
Proteins: Structures, functions and catalysis (12 hours).
Amino acids: structure, properties and classification. Peptide bond. Proteins: structure and function. Three-dimensional structure: primary, secondary (alpha helix, beta conformation, beta-turn), tertiary and quaternary, domains. Structure and function of hemoglobin and myoglobin, the heme group and the bond with the oxygen, dissociation curve, oxygen regulation of the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen (CO2, H+, BPG).
Enzymes: general characteristics, activation energy, binding energy, general concepts of enzyme kinetics, Mechanisms of regulation of enzyme activity: allosteric enzymes and enzymes regulated by covalent modifications.
Biological Membranes and Transport (2 hours): The constituents of plasma membranes. Structure and function of membranes. The membrane lipids. Fluidity. Permeability. Passive and active transport:
Membrane receptors (4 hours): function, specificity and signal transduction: receptors with intrinsic kinase activity (insulin), Receptors coupled with G proteins: cAMP.
Bioenergetics and Metabolism (40 hours):
Basic concepts of metabolism: Catabolism and anabolism. The transfer of phosphate groups. Structure and function of ATP. The electron carriers (NADH, NADPH and FADH2). Coenzyme A.
Degradation and synthesis of glucose: General concepts on carbohydrates and their structures. Glycolysis and Gluconeogenesis: function and regulation. The energy balance. Pyruvate carboxylase activity and regulation. Fructose 1-6 bisfosfatase and regulation. Synthesis of pentose phosphate and NADPH.
Glycogenolysis and glycogen synthesis: Glycogen. Function and regulation degradation of glycogen degradation. Function and regulation of glycogen biosynthesis, the glicogenin.
Regulation of sugar metabolism: Hormonal regulation of sugar metabolism. Fate of pyruvate areobic and anaerobic conditions. Cori cycle. Synthesis of Acetyl-CoA: pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.
Citric acid cycle: Functions, energy balance and regulation.
Degradation of lipids: Mobilization and transport of fatty acids. Fatty acid oxidation. The ketone bodies.
Degradation of amino acids and proteins: Protein diet and cellular proteins. Oxidation of amino acids and removal of the amino group. The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.
Oxidative phosphorylation: The electron carriers. Electron flow and ATP synthesis. Mechanisms of coupling between respiratory chain and oxidative phosphorylation. Transport systems of cytoplasmic NADH. Transport of ATP and ADP.
Biosynthesis of lipids: biosynthesis of fatty acids. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase and malonyl-CoA synthesis and regulation. Fatty acid synthase.
Lab activities (12 hours): Cell count and preparation of cellular lysates. Evaluation of protein concentration. Didactic methods
The course is organized with classroom lectures on all the topics of the course and guided exercises in the Biochemistry laboratory. For organizational reasons, in the laboratory activities the students will be divided into groups (maximum 30 students per group). The student is guided along the path, also with “active learning” modalities, so as to arrive at a critical understanding of the relationship between the structure and function of macromolecules, and of the strategies for regulating their functions in the context of metabolic reactions. The students will be actively involved in the discussion of the themes of the course.Learning assessment procedures
- Oral examination. The aim of the oral examination is to test the level of knowledge and deepening of the topics of the course program and the reasoning skills developed by the student on issues related to biochemistry . The assessment is expressed in thirtieths.
Reference texts
- "I principi di Biochimica di Lehninger" di Nelson-Cox, Zanichelli
