PLANT CELL BIOLOGY
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2022/2023
- Teacher
- LORENZO FERRONI
- Credits
- 6
- Didactic period
- Secondo Semestre
- SSD
- BIO/01
Training objectives
- The objective of the course is to illustrate the characteristics that distinguish the plant cell in comparison with the animal cell and the study methods used in plant cell biology.
Expected Learning Outcomes. Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:
- describe the plant cell as a system of interacting organelles;
- describe the specificities of the different organelles examined during the course;
- interpret in functional and evolutionary terms the structures of the plant cell;
- discuss elements of specificity with respect to the animal cell;
- exemplify some of the main methods used in plant cell biology. Prerequisites
- Knowledge of general cell biology and general botany, elements of plant physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology.
Course programme
- After an introduction to the course, the follwing four topics are addressed.
1) The endomembrane system.
The endomembrane system in the plant cell. The secretory pathway in plants. The vacuolar system integrated into the secretory pathway. Intersections in membrane trafficking (autophagy, endocytosis, role of the trans-Golgi network).
2) The cell wall.
The macromolecular composition of the cell wall. Cell wall biogenesis and its description as molecular network(s). Cell expansion and cell geometry. The modified cell walls.
3) Plastids.
Plastids and their genome. Chloroplast biogenesis. Structural differentiation of the chloroplast. Plastids in the general context of the plant cell. Origin and evolution of plastids: primary plastids and complex plastids.
4) Mitochondrion, nucleus, cell division, death.
Plant mitochondria (structure, origin, biogenesis). Mitochondria in the context of the plant cell. Specificity of the nucleus in the plant cell. Specificity of the cytoskeleton in the plant cell. Cytoskeleton during mitosis and cytokeresis. Programmed cell death in plants. Didactic methods
- Lectures supported by the projection of presentations. Discussion with students.
Learning assessment procedures
- The objective of the examination is to test the level of knowledge and depth of the topics of the course syllabus and the reasoning ability developed by the student. The evaluation is expressed in thirtieths (minimum grade 18).
The examination usually consists of an oral test on three topics of the course with the aim of verifying the achievement of the expected learning objectives:
1) knowledge and ability to understand the topics (e.g., the student adequately describes a certain cellular compartment);
2) applied knowledge skills (e.g., the student can identify the functional implications of a structural aspect).
Soft skills such as language property, correct use of the Italian language (or English for foreign students) and clarity of exposition also contribute to the evaluation.
A maximum score of 11 is given to each of the three exam topics. The exam is passed if the student achieves a score of at least 6 in each answer, for a total score of at least 18. Passing the score of 30 results in the award of honors ("30 e lode"). Reference texts
- Pasqua e Forni, Biologia Cellulare e Molecolare delle Piante. Piccin, Padova 2022.
Foreign students are invited to contact the teacher for reference bibliography.
