Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defenses

Code:

B4043

Acronym:

B4043

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Biology

Instance: 2017/2018 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Biology
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Cell and Molecular Biology

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
M:BCM	7	Official Study Plan until 2023/2024	1	-	6	42	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

- To enable students to identify the factors affecting the stress response and the production pathways of the reactive oxygen species.
- To describe the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense systems and explain their physiological function.
- To provide students with knowledge of the physiological and biochemical processes underlying the damage caused by abiotic stresses and the mechanisms of adaptation and acclimation of plants and animals to stressful situations.
- To identify strategies to increase the tolerance of plants and animals to certain types of stress.
-Planning an ecotoxicological test to assess oxidative stress

Learning outcomes and competences

 

Upon conclusion of the course, the student should be able to:

- Identify the reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, their cellular sites of production and the situations that contribute to their increased production and accumulation.
-identify crucial roles of ROS, RNS in cell functioning and main cell signalling pathways associated

- Know the enzymatic antioxidant defense system and non enzymatic.

-Recognize the main changes that arise in animal and in plant cells under ageing processes, or exposed to different (a)biotic stress situations.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Cell biology

Program

The importance of reactive species in the cell development and in its relation with the environment. Concepts of acclimatization/acclimation/adaptation.

Signalling pathways and regulation of the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS): Types of ROS and RNS. Production and partitioning of ROS and RNS in a homeodynamic balanced cell. Perception, signal transduction and metabolic pathways associated with ROS and RNS. Bioenergetics and the role of various organelles (eg, mitochondria) in signaling. Roles played by ROS / RNS essencial to cell functioning; reactive species as messengers. Homeodynamic disorders and increased oxidative stress. Case studies: the relationship between the metabolism of reactive species with aging and/or with metabolic disorders (eg carcinogenesis). Oxidative stress and programmed cell death. Redox regulation, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense systems. Regulation of gene expression. Biomarkers / endpoints assessment of ROS / RNS, oxidative stress and cell damage. Case studies in toxicology.

The relevance of oxidative stress in plant-environment interactions: increased production of ROS and oxidative stress. Signs of oxidative damage. ROS as signal molecules for the induction of tolerance to stress. Plant system antioxidant defense. Physiological responses and adaptations to (a)biotic stresses.

Chemical agents such as oxidative stress inducers: planning, implementation and evaluation of the effects of acute exposure of cells / organisms to stressful conditions the evaluation. Quantification of enzyme activity (eg catalase), lipid peroxidation (MDA) and cellular components damage (eg CMS)

Mandatory literature

000077652. ISBN: 0-19-854137-6
000103971. ISBN: 978-0-87893-866-7

Teaching methods and learning activities

- Lectures and laboratory classes.
- Lectures are presented in slideshow using the software like "PowerPoint".
- Laboratory classes enable the acquisition of specific skills, including those arising from the implementation of practical experiments.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Exame	75,00
Participação presencial	25,00
Total:	100,00

Eligibility for exams

Laboratory classes are mandatory.

Calculation formula of final grade

Final exam covering theory and practical subjects graded to 15 points (FE)

Oral presentation of a program subject graded to 5 points (OP)

Final grade -  FE + OP

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Working-students may be subjected to an additional complementary evaluation of practical nature.