Entry requirements

Chemistry for Biomedicine 15 credits (3FK162), Biochemistry 7 credits (3KB030), Anatomy 8 credits (3AN300) or corresponding courses.

Learning outcomes

The course should provide knowledge of the basic structures and cell biology-related mechanisms in an eukaryote cell.

After completing the course, the student should be able to:

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

- account for the structure and function of the eukaryotic cell and its organelles.

- account for the genetic information flow in the eukaryotic cell; including nucleic acid structures, the definition of a gene, the organisation of the genome, the replication, the formation of RNA (transcription), the processing of pre mRNA and the protein synthesis (translation).

- account for how genes are regulated.

- account for how cells can communicate and the central intracellular signal transduction pathways.

- account for intracellular protein transport.

- account for cell motility and regulation of cell form and movement; including cytoskeleton organisation and generation of force and cell motility.

- describe the cell cycle and the cell division and account for how these are regulated.

SKILLS AND ABILITY

- describe and carry out basic molecular genetic methods; including work with bacteria, PCR amplification and analysis and electrophoresis of nucleic acid.

- describe and carry out basic cell culture and microscopy.

- explain the theory behind the practical parts in the course and be able to compile and interpret experimental results in both written and oral form.

EVALUATION ABILITY AND ATTITUDES

- search, compile, present and to some extent also review cell and molecular biological information critically.

Content

The theoretical course:

The molecular genetics of the cell

The structure, function and synthesis of nucleic acids. The cell biology central dogma about the information flow in the cell. The structure of the genome. The gene concept and gene structure. DNA replication and repair. Genetic recombination. Transcription and translation and their regulation. Basic recombinant DNA techniques.

Cellular biology

The structure and ultrastructure of the cell. Organelles and membrane systems; their structure and function. Cell division: mitosis. Intracellular protein sorting and secretion as well as endocytosis. Cytoskeleton and cell motility. Extra- and intracellular signal transduction. Differences and similarities between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Microscopy methods for for structural analysis of the eukaryotic cell.

The laboratory course:

The molecular genetics of the cell

Cultivation of bacteria, transformation, isolation of plasmid DNA, PCR, analysis of sequencing results, database searches.

Cellular biology

Sterilisation techniques, general microscopy techniques, cultivation of eukaryotic cells, transfer of DNA to cells and analysis of gene expressions by means of Green Fluorescent Protein. Microscopy of DNA-stained cells.

Training in oral and written presentation.

Instruction

The teaching is organised based on guidelines for the students' working conditions at Uppsala University (Dnr UFV 2009/902) and take place as lectures, demonstrations, seminars, group presentation and laboratory sessions.

SEMINARS are teacher-supervised group discussions that are based on prepared presentations of the students about subjects or specific issues.

GROUP PRESENTATIONS: Parts from the textbook will be distributed to the members of a group (10-16 individuals). Individual short oral presentations are prepared by the group members and given at one occasion for the group under supervision. A short written summary of the subject shall be distributed to the group members. Apart from factual knowledge the group presentations are meant to give the student training in defining and screening the textbook material and to present the most important parts orally.

LABORATORY SESSIONS constitute an important part of the course with attached theory. The laboratory sessions are presented in writing in the form of laboratory reports, which gives training to write and formulate scientific text.

Presentation techniques are integrated with the part that contains written/oral presentation.

The student's attendance is compulsory at: seminars, group presentations, all parts in connection with laboratory sessions and specific parts announced by the course coordinator.

Beside the teaching methods specified in the syllabus other ways of teaching may be used during the course.

Assessment

To obtain passing grade on the course the following is required:

i) that the student in an active way has participated in and presented the compulsory parts (laboratory sessions, demonstrations, seminars and group presentations),

ii) has passed written laboratory reports,

iii) has passed written tests and

iv) has passed individual written examination of completion of the course.

In the course, summative and formative examining parts are included. Emphasis is placed on laboratory sessions and seminars with attached theory. Assessment/grading of written examination takes place anonymously.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.