Cell Biology [SBIOB323]
- 5 credits
- 45h+10h
- 1st quarter
Language of instruction: French / FrançaisTeachers: Messiaen Johan, Renard Henri-François
Learning outcomes
To be able to:
- understand structure-function relationships at the cellular and subcellular levels in animal/plant cells, by identifying the common features, but also the differences between animal and plant cells
- unravel the dynamic processes of transport in the cell and the dynamic interactions between organelles at the subcellular and molecular levels
- master one chapter (cytoskeleton) by self-learning
- master the vocabulary related to cell biology
- have a basic knowlegde about the main techniques of modern cell biology
- understand and be able to explain the basic principles of light and electron microscopy
- use rationally a photonic microscope
- master the basic knowledge of modern techniques of cell biology and write a scientific report in an adequate format and with a properly formatted bibliography, respecting the instructions communicated.
Objectives
Content
The subcellular organization of the eukaryotic cells and the functions of subcellular organelles are analyzed in 4 main chapters:
- an introduction to light and electron microscopy,
- the plant cell wall,
- the biological membranes (structure, properties, transport),
- The intracellular compartments (structure, functions, protein targeting to cell compartments). The nucleus, mitochondria, plastids, peroxisomes, glyoxysomes and the endomembrane system (endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, secretion vesicles, vacuoles, lysosomes and endosomes) are successively described to unravel the dynamic processes of exocytosis, & endocytosis
- and the cytoskeleton (selflearning).
These topics are approached by taking into account the contribution of techniques (light and electron microscopies, immuno-cytochemistry labeling, ...) and illustrated by historically important and/or particularly demonstrative experiments.
Exercises description
The learning activity (LA) in Animal Cell Biology includes the theoretical course completed by a lab session. Attendance at the lab session is mandatory.
During this lab session, students will get familiar with fluorescent light microscopy and will study the kinetics of microtubule (de)polymerization (sample preparation for immunofluorescence and observation with confocal microscope). A report will be written by students (rules on Webcampus) and will be taken into account for the global evaluation of this teaching unit (see Evaluation section).
Co-requisites
The teaching units from one of the following lists:
- Biochimie des animaux domestiques I [SMEDB201]
- Biochimie [MBIMB150]
- Biochimie générale [MPHAB201]
Teaching methods
Courses are given via the projection of powerpoint slides and by supplementary explanations on blackboard.
Documents are provided as PowerPoint presentation (pdf file per chapter), articles or complementary documents
Evaluations
The evaluation will be an oral examination (one examination/teacher).
Animal Cell Biology - 3 parts.
The student:
1. answers to a transversal question in order to assess his(her)ability to integrate several chapters and to "travel" through the course (ORAL)
2. defines 1 term or concept in microscopy (ORAL)
3. defines 3 terms/concepts (ORAL)
4. answers to a set of functional questions about the cytoskeleton (microtubules or microfilaments) to assess his (her) ability to tackle a chapter by self-learning. Information about the questions (the same for all the students) is provided during the lectures and on WebCampus.
An unjustified absence at a lab session or the non-handing-in of a report will automatically result in an overall score of maximum 7/20, even in case of success for the oral exam for animal cell biology.
Plant cell biology - Oral assessment of 20-30 minutes in the form of a discussion without preparation
An unjustified absence at a lab session or the non-handing-in of a report will automatically result in an overall score of maximum 7/20, even in case of success for the oral exam for vegetal cell biology.
The final grade corresponds to the average for the 2 AAs, on condition that the 2 grades are > 7/20. In the event of serious failure (mark ≤ 7 for one of the 2 AAs), the student's transcript will show a maximum mark of 7/20, whether in the 1st or 2nd session. A mark greater than or equal to 10/20 acquired in the 1st session for one of the 2 parts will be automatically carried over to the 2nd session of the same academic year. ATTENTION: marks cannot be carried over from one academic year to the next. Assessment is mandatory in January (no assessment in June).
For students enrolled in the "Life Physics" Physical Master, UE SBIOB323 will be taught by selflearning at distance using the reference book "Cellular and Molecular Biology" (Karp, 4th edition).
The chapters and concepts to be mastered will be defined by the teachers and 4 meetings of one hour minimum will be scheduled during the quadrimester during which the teaching is provided. These meetings aim to monitor the progress of learning. During these sessions, the student will demonstrate her/his investment in learning the material that will be defined for each session. She/He will ask on this occasion the questions on the subjects of subjects which pose a problem of comprehension.
The teacher will then pick up, in a structured way, the point (s) addressed by the students and answer their questions by fixing the new concepts and subject chapters for the following session.
The assessment for physics students will take the form of an oral exam specifically, but an ongoing assessment of the work, including the progression of subject mastery discussed at the meetings, will be done by the teachers. Continuous assessment will contribute 30% of the final exam score.
Recommended readings
Plant cell Biology Reference book : Biochemistry and molecular biology of plants (Buchanan, Gruissem and Jones). The book must not be bought by the students (the book is available at the teacher's office)
Animal cell biology Reference books: Biologie cellulaire & moléculaire - Karp - de Boeck - The world of the cell - Becker, Kleinsmith, Hardin & Bertoni - Pearson International Edition - Lehninger Principles of biochemistry - Nelson & Cox - Freeman (also the reference book for the Biochemistry courses in Bac2 & Bac3) The students are not obliged to buy these books. They are available at the university library as well as in the lecturer's lab local library.
Language of instruction
French / FrançaisLocation for course
NAMUROrganizer
Faculté des sciencesRue de Bruxelles, 61
5000 NAMUR
