Biochemistry II

Code:

MIMD010203

Acronym:

BIOQ II

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Physical Sciences

Instance: 2023/2024 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Mestrado Integrado
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Master in Dental Medicine

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIMD	83	Official Plan from the academic year 2020/2021	1	-	5	81	135
		NÃO INSCREVER - Plano exclusivo para uso administrativo	1	-	5	81	135

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

Cellular metabolism is an integrated set of chemical reactions that aims to produce energy and to use it to synthesize the building blocks for protein, lipid, and carbohydrate production. The Biochemistry 2 subject aims at studying the cellular metabolism and the molecular mechanisms underlying its regulation, as well as the signal transduction pathways used to receive, process, amplify and integrate intra and extracellular signals. The student must be able to recognize and explain the function of metabolic pathways, relate digestion and the production and storage of energy with food composition, relate the mechanisms of metabolic regulation by hormones, enzyme activation and inhibition and other mechanisms with energy and metabolites requirements, recognize and explain the molecular bases of metabolism (including glucose and lipid homeostasis), relate the metabolic pathways with the molecular bases, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and actively participate in the resolution of problems.

Learning outcomes and competences

It is expected that the student taking this course learns the basic principles of primary metabolism, and knows the most important interrelationships between different pathways. Also, the student should be able to describe the most important regulatory mechanisms of these biochemical pathways in both health and disease.

Working method

Presencial

Program

Theoretical and theoretical-practical classes: Carbohydrate metabolism – Glycolysis and its regulation. Lactic acid fermentation. The glycerol-phosphate shuttle and the malate-aspartate shuttle. Galactosemia, fructosuria, hereditary fructose intolerance. Glycogen metabolism and gluconeogenesis. Ethanol metabolism. The pentose-phosphate pathway. Hormonal regulation: the molecular mechanism of action of insulin, glucagon and epinephrine. Insulin-dependent and –independent Diabetes Mellitus. Insulinomas. Bioenergetics – the complex pyruvate dehydrogenase and the Krebs cycle. Allosteric and hormonal regulation. Oxidative phosphorylation. Inhibitors and uncouplers. Fatty acids: structure, nomenclature and properties. Lipid metabolism – Digestion and absorption of lipids. Lipolysis and beta-oxidation of fatty acids. Synthesis and energetic role of ketone bodies. Synthesis of fatty acids. Biosynthesis of glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids. Biosynthesis of cholesterol. Lipoproteins. Hypercholesteremia. Integration of lipid metabolism. Vitamin D. Primary and secondary bile acids. Steroid hormones. Oxidative stress - Reactive oxygen species and oxidative damages. Primary and secondary antioxidant defences. Atherosclerosis. Ischemia-reperfusion syndrome. Amino acid metabolism – Aminotransferases and glutamate dehydrogenase. Biosynthesis of non-essential amino acids. Catabolism of amino acids. The urea cycle and its regulation. Ammonia toxicity. Conversion of amino acids to specialized products – HEME, melanine, hormones, neurotransmitters and nitric oxide. Porphyria and jaundice. Nucleotide metabolism – Synthesis of purines and pyrimidines. Inhibitors of nucleotide biosynthesis and replication. Catabolism of purines and pyrimidines. Gout. Lesch-Nhyan syndrome. Tumors and chemotherapy. Metabolic interrelationships – metabolic adaptations to starvation. Obesity. Diabetes Mellitus. Alcoholism, Stress and Cancer cachexia.

PL classes: Carbohydrate metabolism – physical exercise and lactic acidosis - deficiency in phosphofructokinase. Type 1 and 2 Diabetes mellitus. Glucose tolerance test. Gluconeogenesis: inhibition by ethanol. Fructose intolerance. Glycogen storage diseases. Bioenergetics - Uncouplers and inhibitors of the oxidative phosphorylation. Lipid metabolism – lipolysis and beta-oxidation - the carnitine system. The deficiency in MCAD. The propionyl-CoA carboxylase. The deficiency in vitamin B12. The peroxisomal beta-oxidation (Zellweger syndrome). The familial hipercholesterolemia. Other lipid disorders (e.g., Wolman disease). Alcohol toxicity. Oxidative stress – Favism and deficiency in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Ischemia-reperfusion syndrome. Aminoacid and heme metabolism - Deficiency in the urea cycle and ammonia toxicity. Phenylketonuria. Acute intermittent porphyria. Nucleotide metabolism – hereditary orotic aciduria. Hyperammonemia with orotic aciduria.

Mandatory literature

David L. Nelson, Michael M. Cox; Lehninger principles of biochemistry (7th Edition), 2017. ISBN: 9781319108243
Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko, Lubert Stryer; Biochemistry,, 2015. ISBN: 9781319153939
Devlin Thomas M; Textbook of biochemistry with clinical correlations. ISBN: ISBN: 978-0-470-28173-4

Teaching methods and learning activities

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	85,00
Participação presencial	15,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	54,00
Frequência das aulas	81,00
Total:	135,00

Eligibility for exams

Calculation formula of final grade

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

According to the regulations of University of Porto.

Classification improvement

According to the regulations of University of Porto, through a final written exam.