Molecular Cell Dynamics

Code:

MI126

Acronym:

DMC

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Medicine

Instance: 2021/2022 - 2S (of 14-02-2022 to 29-07-2022)

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Departamento de Biomedicina
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Master in Medicine

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIMED	321	Plano Oficial 2021	1	-	6	57	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students
Obs.: Português (ou inglês, se houver docentes ou estudantes que não falem português)

Objectives

To endow the medical students with theoretical and practical knowledge on the intervenients in organelle structure and functioning, and on the mechanisms that, through forces and movements, promote interaction between them. In parallel, emphasis will be put on metabolic and information flows between organelles, necessary for cellular maintenance and economy. Following knowledge acquisition on the usual functioning, importance will be given to conditions that contribute to the functional loss and the establishment of diseases.

To introduce to the laboratory as source of biomedical knowledge, integrating practical sessions of specimen study, hands-on accomplishment of practical activities or projects, as well as sessions of interpretation and discussion of scientific articles. For this purpose, students will be tutored by a faculty member and researcher, specialized in the areas of Cell Biology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry.

Learning outcomes and competences

Qualification to know and identify:

- Cell compartments and intracellular dynamics

- structure, biogenesis and metabolic activity in organelles

- intracellular trafficking of proteins and other biomolecules

- metabolic flux between and for the various organelles

 

Enablement to integrate:

- molecular mechanisms associated with transmembrane and intracellular transport

- intra and intercellular signaling mechanisms

- Intracellular mechanisms of protein degradation

- intracellular stress, namely on the endoplasmic reticulum

- cellular stress response, in particular proteasome activation, Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) and autophagy

- post-translational changes in disease

 

Ability to understand:

- The effect of the application of biochemical and molecular biology techniques

- the scientific method applied to the resolution of biomedical problems, as part of clinical problems

 

Habilitation to organize:

- the critical evaluation of scientific documentation

- the address of a particular subject to one´s peers

Working method

Presencial

Program

Cell compartments. Cytosol and intracellular stores. 

Strucutral support of intracellular dynamics: cytoskeleton components and roles.

The mitochondria: structure, biogenesis and metabolic flux

The endoplasmic reticulum: structure, biogenesis and quality control

Golgi apparatus and vesicular transport. Endosomes and lysosomes.

Metabolic flow in the secretory pathway

Peroxisome: structure, biogenesis and metabolic flux

Intracellular mobility and the contact points between organelles

The stress of the reticulum and UPR

Post-translational processing anomalies; diseases associated with protein missfolding

Intra and intercellular signaling

Signal transduction mechanisms

Mechanical Transduction

The extracellular matrix

ites in the peroxisome

Mandatory literature

Lodish, Berk, Kaiser, Krieger, Scott, Bretscher, Ploegh, Matsudaira; Molecular Cell Biology, Freeman and company
Berg JM, Tymoczko JL, Stryer L; Biochemistry, W.H. Freeman and Company

Complementary Bibliography

Alberts, Bray, Lewis, Raff, Roberts and Watson; Molecular Biology of the Cell , Garland Publishing, Inc
Nelson DL, Cox MM Lehningher ; Principles of Biochemistry, W.H. Freeman and Company

Teaching methods and learning activities

The theoretical program will be approached in 22 sessions lasting 1 hour.

The practical, tutored, teaching includes:

- 7 sessions (14 hours) in classroom or laboratory environment. In the laboratory part, groups of 3-4 students in each class, will perform hands-on activities and prepare a report/written assignment (TE).

- Extensive Laboratory Work (TL, 14 hours), to carry out a project and oral communication of the results.
[This activity will depend on the sanitary conditions at the time]

- 3 sessions (6 hours) of presentation/discussion of scientific work (ATC), or problem-based learning (PBL), in classroom environment. Each student will be offered a biomedical problem based on a scientific paper, whose resolution requires resources provided in the theoretical classes, the recommended bibliography and other, recognized, information sources. The answer is to be integrated into major themes of Biomedicine and to be organized in the form of oral communication and discussion with their peers.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	10,00
Exame	75,00
Trabalho escrito	5,00
Trabalho laboratorial	10,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	6,00
Elaboração de relatório/dissertação/tese	6,00
Estudo autónomo	106,00
Frequência das aulas	30,00
Trabalho laboratorial	14,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

The student must attend 75% of the practical and laboratory classes.

Calculation formula of final grade

The final evaluation of the PA will be carried out with a written exam (EXE), weighing 75%, and by the distributed assessment (AD) with a weight of 25%.

The EXE (0-15 points) comprises a diversified test that includes multiple response questions, true/false response, statements to complete, problems to solve, and topics to be discussed.

The AD has 3 components: the report/written assignment from the practical sessions (TE, 0-1 points), the ATC/PBL (0-2 points) and the Lab Work (TL, 0-2 points).

The calculation formula for the final classification is: EXE + TE + ATC/PBL + TL

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Students who, by law, are exempted from attending practical classes should make equivalent written assignments, to be established upon contact with the head of the Unit.

Classification improvement

Applies only to the written exam, EXE, provided the students register for the Appeal Epoch.

Observations

The bibliography is based on the texts above, which are not exhaustive; the study of articles published in recognized scientific journals is recommended.

Failure to perform any of the AD activities implies assigning 0 (zero) values to that activity.

The final evaluation formula will change in the case that the Extensive Lab Work cannot be fulfilled.