Academic Year 2017/2018
- Docente: Renato Brandimarti
- Credits: 6
- SSD: BIO/19
- Language: Italian
- Moduli: Martina Cappelletti (Modulo 1) Renato Brandimarti (Modulo 2)
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures (Modulo 1) Traditional lectures (Modulo 2)
- Campus: Bologna
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Corso:
Second cycle degree programme (LM) in
Molecular and cellular biology (cod. 8021)
Also valid for Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Molecular and industrial biotechnology (cod. 8022)
Learning outcomes
The Course (6 CFU) generates the following learning outcomes: - Molecular aspects involved in cell-cell and cell-environment interaction (Quorum Sensing); - Molecular steps in microbial biofilm formation; - Biochemical and molecular aspects in microbial bioconversion of toxic compounds and bioprocessing of metal and metalloids; - Microbial generation of biofuels; - Microbial genomics and bioinformatics; - Molecular aspects of the interaction virus-host; -Viral strategies re-addressing cellular functions to complete the viral replicative-cycle; - Main procedures to construct recombinant viruses; - Evaluation in the use of recombination mediated genetic engineering (recombineering) in the construction of recombinant viruses.
Course contents
Lessons of molecular microbiology (frontal lessons, 3 CFU equal to 24 hr in total):
- Applied and molecular aspects of biofilm generation;
- Molecular aspects of cell-cell and cell-environment interaction (Quorum Sensing);
- Bacterial genome plasticity;
- Cyclic di-GMP in signal transduction;
- Bacterial degradation of xenobiotics;
- Bacterial metal/metalloids interaction;
- Molecular methods for microbial community characterization;
- Fundamentals of microbial genomics and bioinformatics.
Lessons of molecular Virology (1 CFU of frontal lesson equal to 8 hr + 2 CFU of lab activity equal to 38 hr):
- Introduction to viruses genetic content (1 hour);
- Molecular basis of virus-host interaction (2 hours);
- Comparative analysis of the possibility to use different viruses to modify cellular functions (2 hours);
- Analysis of available techniques used to generate recombinant viruses (1hour);
- Recombineering: theory and applications (2 hours);
- Recombineering: an experimental approach (30 hours)
Readings/Bibliography
No specific text-books are required. The material used can be obtained on-line in the form of scientific reviews and/or specific publications in ISI journals. Alternatively, the material will be given to students as printed papers or it will be inserted on-line at the web site http://campus.unibo.it
Teaching methods
The Course consists of 6 CFU in total (4 CFU equal to 30 hr of frontal lessons and 2 CFU of laboratory practice). This latter lab activity will be performed at the BioTech Labs (Navile, via Beverara Bologna) having single bench working-positions and biohazard-hoods. The aim of this lab practice is the following: a) to get use with laboratory instrumentations of microbiology and virology; b) to get enough skilfull to handle biological specimens under safety conditions; c) to reach the learning outcomes
Assessment methods
The aim of the final Course examination is to reach the following learning outcomes: molecular aspects involved in cell-cell and cell-environment interaction (Quorum Sensing); the role of c-di-GMP in cellular signal transduction and in the microbial biofilm formation; biochemical and molecular aspects in microbial bioprocessing of metal and metalloids and microbial bioconversion of toxic compounds; molecular methods for the characterization of microbial communities and the fundamentals for microbial genomics study and phylogenetic analysis; molecular aspects of the interaction virus-host; viral strategies re-addressing cellular functions to complete the viral replicative cycle; main procedures to construct recombinant viruses; evaluation of the use of recombination mediated genetic engineering (recombineering) in the construction of recombinant viruses.
The final Course examination consists of a written test of molecular virology plus lab-questions integrated with a written exam in molecular microbiology. The final mark will come out by the average of the marks obtained in both written exams.
Teaching tools
Didactic material: all the material used for frontal lessons will be given to students as electronic format. Frontal lessons consist in power-point presentations on specific topics of research publications that are available as on-line material
Office hours
See the website of Renato Brandimarti
See the website of Martina Cappelletti