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Teacher
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RINALDUCCI Sara
(syllabus)
NUCLEIC ACIDS. The DNA structure. The double helix and Watson-Crick base pairs (DNA B). Alternative DNA secondary structures (DNA A, DNA Z). DNA topology (supercoiling, topoisomerases). DNA denaturation and renaturation. The DNA of organelles (mitochondria and chloroplasts). The RNA structure. Spatial arrangements of RNA.
GENOME EVOLUTION AND ORGANIZATION. The gene: definition and structure in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Unique and repetitive sequences of DNA, coding and noncoding regions. The nucleosome and chromatin organization. Chemical modifications of histone N-terminal tails and their functional significance. DNA methylation.
DNA REPLICATION. Structure and function of DNA polymerase. Fidelity and processivity of DNA polymerase. Specialized DNA polymerases. DNA helicase. The mechanism of DNA replication: initiation phase, strand synthesis, replication fork, termination, telomere and telomerase. Regulation of DNA replication in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
TRANSCRIPTION IN PROKARYOTES. RNA polymerase. Bacterial promoter recognition. RNA biosynthesis and maturation: initiation, elongation and termination steps.
TRANSCRIPTION IN EUKARYOTES. Eukaryotic promoters. RNA polymerase I, II and III. Key differences in transcription in eukaryotes vs. prokaryotes.
PRINCIPLES OF TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION. Repressors and activators. DNA-binding domains in transcriptional regulators. Examples of gene expression regulation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
RNA MATURATION. tRNA and rRNA maturation processes. Modifications of eukaryotic mRNA: capping, polyadenylation, editing. The splicing mechanism: chemistry of the reaction, spliceosome assembly, alternative splicing.
TRANSLATION OF GENETIC INFORMATION. The mechanism of protein synthesis in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Examples of translation regulation. Non sense-mediated and non stop decay (NMD, NSD).
PROTEIN POST-TRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATIONS. Lipidation, glycosylation, phosphorylation, acetylation, methylation, oxidation, ubiquitination and sumoylation of proteins.
MOBILE DNA. Types of transposable elements and their mechanism of action.
INTRACELLULAR SIGNALING. Steroid hormones. Single- and multipass transmembrane receptors. G-proteins, AMPc, PKA, inositol triphosphate, DAG and PKC. Calcium signaling.
(reference books)
BIOLOGIA MOLECOLARE di F. Amaldi, P. Benedetti, G. Pesole, P. Plevani (2018-terza ed. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana); BIOLOGIA MOLECOLARE: principi e tecniche di M.M. Cox, J.A. Doudna, M. O'Donnel (2013-Zanichelli).
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