Corso di laurea in Scienze Biologiche (L-13)

OBJECTIVES
Basic knowledge about morphological techniques and microscopy;
Structural organisation of eukaryotic animal cells . To provide students with a general framework of the functional significance and the relationships between different cellular organelles. Organisation of animal tissues. Providing the future biologists with the ability to identify the different animal tissues.

morpho-functional knowledge of the cellular structures and the animal tissues. Basic knowledge of histology, immunohistochemistry and expression of fusion constructs with GFP. APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING Ability to read and interpret histological sections, electron micrography and immunofluorescence labelling of cells and animal tissues. Ability to understand the changes due to mutations or molecular constructs.

ASSESSMENT:
Ongoing activities and final quiz on the e-learning platform with multiple
choice and short text questions. Recognition of histological and electron
micrography.
IMPORTANT:
Early registration to the e-learning platform (moodle) is
mandatory !

Progress test and final exam quiz are held in a computer room on the platform moodle ( i- learn) and cover topics of both lectures and practice. Enrolment for the progress test and final exam through the University website . 

The questions are the following types : multiple choice or matching , completion of legends or texts, recognition of cell and tissue structures in light and electron microscopy, resolution of exercises, interpretation of information from nucleotide databases. Examples of exam quiz are provided in the learning material on Moodle .
- The progress test focuses on the biology of the cell and is recommended but not mandatory.
- Access to the progress test is restricted to students who attend this training for the first time and is subject to the completion of the ongoing activities on the platform Moodle .
- Gain points from the progress test will be added to the final vote of the first final exam in the first session available (January-February) . The mode of assignment of gain points is as follows :
vote of the test in progress :
< 22 : 0 points
22-23 : 0.5 points
24-25 : 1 point
26-27 : 1.5 point
28-30 : 2 points
Program of the progress test: Cell Biology
Program of the final exam: Cell and Tissue Biology
The exam takes place on the platform Moodle , so to avoid technical problems on the day of the appeal , all students must be enrolled in the course on the platform moodle early enough. In the event of a problem contact the manager of the teaching degree program.

COURSE ACTIVITIES

Histology lab: reading of eletronic micrography, optical microscopic observations, computer assisted esercizes on virtual slides.
self evaluation tests and activities (Molecular Workbench, Moodle)

DETAILED PROGRAM

Introduction to the study of cell biology: procaryotic and eucaryotic cells; diploidy, polyploidy; plasmodia, syncitia.
The light microscope: bright-field microscope, dark-field microscope, phase-contrast microscope, fluorescence microscope;  confocal microscope; the electron microscope: transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM). Magnification, limit of resolution. Three-dimensional interpretation from thin serial sections.
Preparation of permanent tissue samples: fixation, embedding, sectioning, staining. Histochemistry, histoenzymology, , immunocytochemistry, autoradiography.
Cell culture; green fluorescent protein (GFP) and recombinant technology.
Biomembranes: structural organization and basic functions; the plasma membrane; transport across cell membranes; cell signalling.
The cell nucleus: nuclear envelope, pores, chromatin structure; nucleolus structure and function.
Cytoplasmic membrane systems: structure and function of smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum, translation, protein sorting; structure and function of the Golgi complex, intracellular vesicular traffic, exocytosis, cell coat; endocytosis, endosomes, lysosomes, peroxisomes. 
The cytoskeleton. Cell surface specializations: microvilli, cilia and flagella. Cell junctions, cell adhesion and the extracellular matrix. 
Chemotrophic energy metabolism: glycolysis and fermentation; aerobic respiration ; structure and functions of mitochondria.
Somatic cell renewal: from DNA replication to mitosis; the cell cycle.
Sexual reproduction: meiosis, germ cell differentiation.
What is a tissue? Cell renewal: nonrenewing, continuously renewing, potentially renewable populations.
Epithelial tissue: Epithelial membranes. Glands: exocrine glands, endocrine glands. Sensory epithelia. Cell renewal in epithelia.
Connective tissue: cells; intercellular components: fibers, amorphous component. Classification.
Adipose tissue: white fat and brown fat. Notochord tissue.
Cartilage: hyaline, elastic, fibrocartilage.
Bone: bone cells, bone matrix composition; macroscopic and microscopic structure: cancellous and compact bone. Intramembranous ossification, perichondral and endochondral ossification. The teeth.
Blood: blood cells, bone marrow, hematopoiesis.
Muscle tissue: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, smooth muscle. The ultrastructural basis of contraction.
Nervous tissue: central and peripheral nervous system. The structure of neurons and neuroglial cells. Central and peripheral nerve fibres; myelination; nerve impulses; synapses; the neuromuscular junction.

BIOLOGIA DELLA CELLULA: principali caratteristiche delle macromolecole biologiche utili alla comprensione dell'organizzazione e del funzionamento cellulare. Proprietà comune delle membrane biologiche, produzione, mantenimento e degradazione degli organelli cellulari.
Sintesi, sorting e degradazione delle macromolecole biologiche.
Proliferazione, differenziamento e morte cellulare. Lettura di preparati di microscopia elettronica tramite lo studio di slide virtuali.

BIOLOGIA DEI TESSUTI: Studio delle caratteristiche e delle proprietà dei tessuti epiteliali, connettivi, muscolare e nervoso. Ricambio tessutale e compartimenti staminali.

ESERCITAZIONI DI LABORATORIO MORFOLOGICO: lettura di micrografie di microscopia elettronica. Osservazioni al microscopio ottico, esercitazioni al computer di vetrini scannerizzati

ATTIVITA' ONLINE: Molecular workbench e Moodle.

CELL: Basic characteristics of biological macromolecules useful for the understanding of cell function. Common property of biological membranes, maintenance and degradation of cellular organelles.
Synthesis, sorting and degradation of biological macromolecules.
Proliferation, differentiation and cell death.

TISSUES: Study of the characteristics and property of epithelial tissue, connective, and nervous mucolare. Replacement tissue and stem compartments.

COURSE ACTIVITIES
Histology lab: reading of eletronic micrography, optical microscopic observations, computer assisted esercizes on virtual slides.
Constructive learning activities on Molecular Workbench and Moodle.

Text books
ALBERTS et al: “Essential Cell Biology,Fourth Edition, Garland 2013 (kindle edition available)
ROSS M.H., PAWLINA W. Histology: A text and atlas, sixth edition, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2014 (kindle edition available)
Also available:
- on-line histology atlas: http://www.atlanteistologia.unito.it/page.asp
- All the material of the course is published on the e-learning platform (moodle)