29471 - Cellular and Molecular Biology

Course contents

– Physical parameters of the resolving power of the microscopes. Image formation in the compound light microscope. Different light microsopes and their application in cell biology: phase-contrast microscope, differenzial interference contrast microscope, fluorescence microscope and confocal microscope. Image formation in the transmission electron microscope and its utilization in cell biology studies analysing ultrathin sections, negative stained preparations and samples obtained with freeze-etching. Scanning electron microscope. Specimen preparation for light microscopy and for transmission electron microscopy and the most commune cytochemical methods. Use of  antibodies in cell biology.

-Membrane structure. The lipid bilayer and its fluidity. Lipid rafts. Membrane proteins and protein diffusion in the plane of the membrane.  Membrane transport. Proteins-carrier and channels. Simple and carrier-mediated diffusions, active membrane transport. - Intracellular compartments and protein sorting. Endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosome,  and secretory vescicles. Caveolae. Transport pf molecules into and out the nucleus. Nuclear pores. - The cytoskeleton. Microtubules. Motor proteins. Rate and direction of movement along a microtubule. Cilia and centrioles. Intermediate filaments.  Microfilaments. The structure of actin. Actin-binding proteins. Lamellipodia and microspikes. Miosin. Muscle and nonmuscle cells motility. - Cell-cell interaction.

Readings/Bibliography

Scala, Pasquinelli, Cenacchi: Microscopie in Biologia e Medicina. CLUEB editore

G Karp: Biologia cellulare e molecolare. IV Edizione. Edi SES

TD Pollard- WC Earnshaw: Biologia cellulare. II Edizione. Elsevier Masson

Teaching methods

Lectures

Assessment methods

Oral exame

Teaching tools

Video projector, PC

Office hours

See the website of Valeria Franceschini