Cell Signalling and Gene Regulation

Objectives

Cell signaling and gene regulation are encompassed within the scope of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology. Cell signaling is key to cellular behavior but also to regulating the development, organization, physiology and pathology of human tissues and organs and the entire organism.

The general objective of this subject is to understand how cells send, receive and respond to signals from their environment, both in physiological and pathological states. The specific objectives are as follows:

• Know the main mechanisms of communication and cellular signaling.
• To delve deeper into intracellular transduction pathways and their biochemistry.
• Understand how transcription regulation, mRNA processing and translation work in humans.

Learning outcomes

• LO1. Understand the molecular mechanisms of regulation and control of metabolism, as well as the molecular bases of intercellular communication and intracellular signaling.
• LO2. Prepares reports and written documents (mainly of a technical nature) with spelling and grammar correction in Catalan, Spanish and English.
• LO3. Evaluates globally the learning processes carried out in accordance with the plans and objectives set and establishes individual improvement measures.
• LO4. Acquires and demonstrates advanced knowledge in the theoretical and practical aspects and work methodology in the field of biomedicine.

Competencies

General skills

• Formulate hypotheses following the scientific method, with an ability to summarize and analyze information in a critical way in order to be able to solve problems.

Specific skills

• Describe the relationship between the biology of the nucleus and the metabolism of the main cell types.
• Have a systemic vision of the organism, in particular metabolic regulation and control and cell signaling, in order to respond to biomedical challenges.

Basic skills

• Students have demonstrated knowledge and understanding in a field of study that builds on general secondary education with the support of advanced textbooks and knowledge of the latest advances in this field of study.

Core skills

• Communicate orally, in writing and audiovisually, in one's own language and in foreign languages, with proficiency in form, content and use.
• Reflect critically on knowledge of all kinds, with a commitment to professional rigor and quality.

Content

The content of the subject is broken down into 4 main points:

• Introduction to intercellular communication
  • Types of signals
  • Nervous communication
  • Signaling molecules
  • Signal reception
• Main signal transduction pathways
  • Biochemical and processing aspects
• Cellular response and gene regulation
  • Purpose of signal transduction
  • Types, levels, processing and responses to signal transduction
• Specific signaling pathways
  • G protein-coupled receptor signaling
  • Signaling of receptors with enzymatic activity
  • Ion channel signaling
  • Intracellular receptor signaling
  • Integrin signaling

Evaluation

According to the UVic-UCC Academic Regulations for Degrees, there is only one official call that includes two different evaluation periods:

• Ordinary period, which takes place as part of the training process and during the school period.
• Complementary evaluation period, in which the student can be evaluated again for the tasks, activities or tests that he or she did not pass satisfactorily within the framework of the first period.

Continuous evaluation of the activities carried out by the student through:

• Evaluation of the topics: 45%
  
  • First part: 22.5% (recoverable)
    Important: To be able to average with the other exam, you must obtain a minimum grade of 4/10. If you obtain less than 4/10, you must retake this part.
  • Second part: 22.5% (recoverable)
    Important: To be able to average with the other exam, a minimum grade of 4/10 must be obtained. If you obtain less than 4/10, you must retake this part. The average between the two partials must be 5 or higher to be able to average with the other activities.
• Active participation in classes, seminars, and in assignments and cases: 5% (non-recoverable)
• Continuous evaluation activities: 30% (non-recoverable)
• Group work: 20% (non-recoverable)

The final grade for the subject is the result of the weighting of the grades obtained in each of the parts.

Recovery period

• Students who do not pass some of the activities considered retakeable may retake them during this period, as long as the total number of parts of the subject not passed does not represent 50% of the final grade.

Important

Plagiarism or copying someone else's work is penalized in all universities and, according to the UVic-UCC coexistence rules, constitute serious or very serious faults. Therefore, during the course of this subject, plagiarism or the improper appropriation of texts or ideas from other people (see What is considered plagiarism?) and the improper or undeclared use of artificial intelligence in an activity automatically result in suspension or other disciplinary measures.

To cite texts and materials appropriately, you must consult the academic citation guidelines and guidelines available on the UVic Library website.

Methodology

• This subject includes theoretical sessions, seminars and/or assignments at the end of each block.
• Practical cases and tasks are presented that students must work on autonomously and independently or in small groups.
• Attendance at the seminar sessions, tasks and workshops and the case and article presentation sessions is highly recommended, as they will contribute to the integration of the information received in the theoretical sessions.

Bibliography

Key references

• Alberts, B. (2015). Molecular biology of the cell (6 ed.). Garland Science.
• Bradshaw, Ralph A. & Dennis, Edward A. (2009). Handbook of Cell Signaling. Retrieved from https://www-sciencedirect-com.biblioremot.uvic.cat/book/9780123741455/handbook-of-cell-signaling
• Lodish, H., Berk, A., Kaiser, C., Krieger, M., Bretscher, A., Ploegh, H., Martin, K., Yaffe, M., Amon, A. . (2021). Molecular Cell Biology (9 ed.). Macmillan Press.
• Sharma, K. K. (2022). Vías de señalización celular y molecular. Sciencia Scripts.

Further reading

Teachers will provide complementary bibliography and compulsory reading throughout the course via the Virtual Campus.