Unit GENERAL BIOCHEMISTRY

GENERAL AND APPLIED BIOCHEMISTRY

Code	GP005391
CFU	5
Teacher	Luca Avellini
Teachers	Luca Avellini
Hours	50 ore - Luca Avellini
Learning activities	Base
Area	Discipline della struttura, funzione e metabolismo delle molecole di interesse biologico
Academic discipline	BIO/10
Type of study-unit	Obbligatorio (Required)
Language of instruction	Italian
Contents	Regulation of enzyme activity. Bioenergetics and metabolism. Functional role and anabolic and catabolic processes of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins, including the mechanisms of transdeamination and ureogenesis. Mechanisms of regulation of the metabolism and interrelationships between the various metabolisms in mammals. General Principles on preparative, chromatographic and spectrophotometric techniques.
Reference texts	M.L. Nelson, M.M. Cox "Principi di Biochimica di Lehninger" Zanichelli;K. Wilson, J. Walker “Biochimica e biologia molecolare. Principi e tecniche” Cortina Raffaello.
Educational objectives	KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING The student must have knowledge of: - bioenergetis; - the metabolic pathways, their integrations and regulations; - the theoretical basis of the peparative, chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques most commonly used APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING At the end of the course the student must have developed the following skills: - appropriate know how for understanding the metabolic specificity of organs and tissues, and the differences between species as will be studied in the module of “Veterinary Systematic and Comparative Biochemistry”; - understand, recognize and provide for the different metabolic adaptations consequent to feeding or environmental changes as well as animal physiological and welfare needs; - use the most common laboratory instruments for volumetric and gravimetric measurements; - performing the lipid extraction and a TLC. AUTONOMY OF JUDGMENT The student must be able to argue critically and independently the expected homeostatic adaptations following changes, both normal and pathological, on metabolism or diet. COMMUNICATION SKILLS At the end of the course, the student must be able to organize and expose the acquired knowledge supporting them with argumentative rigor, completeness, language properties and connection skills into other contexts both in written and oral form. LIFELONG LEARNING SKILLS At the end of the course the student will be able to: - integrate autonomously the acquired knowledge by consulting and understanding scientific texts, bibliographic updates, so as to employ them in different contexts, including research; - use the acquired know-how to understand the contents of the subsequent teachings such as systematic and comparative biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, general pathology, nutrition as well as pharmaco-toxicology and laboratory medicine.
Prerequisites
Teaching methods	The course is organized as follow:- Lectures (43 hours) on all subjects of the course- Laboratory exercises (overall 7 hours) will be done at the teaching labs (basement of the main building) for the knowledge/solution of basic problems regarding biochemistry lab. Students will be divided into 4 groups (maximum 20 students per group).
Learning verification modality
Extended program	Introduction to Metabolism: mechanisms of regulation of enzyme activity, allosteric modulation, covalent reversible regulation concept of second messenger, cascade amplification of the signal. Automatic regulation. The remote adjustment of metabolism, signal transduction. Cellular compartmentalization. Organization of metabolism, high-energy bonds, cycle of ATP (4 modes of use, and 4 modes for ATP synthesis) CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM: Origin and fate of glucose, the role of hexokinase and glucokinase, glycolysis: the individual reactions of the two phases, the use of other monosaccharides, fate of pyruvate (lactate dehydrogenase complex and the decarboxylation of pyruvate), gluconeogenesis: source precursors, specific reactions; reciprocal regulation of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, bifunctional enzyme and fructose,2-6,bisphosphate. Glycogen metabolism, the role of UDP-glucose, covalent and allosteric regulation of glycogen metabolism. Cori cycle. Pentose phosphate pathway. TERMINAL METABOLISM: Origin and fate of acetyl-CoA, Krebs cycle reactions and its amphibolic role; role of oxaloacetate and anaplerotic reactions; reciprocal regulation of pyruvate carboxylase and pyruvate dehydrogenase. Respiratory chain transporters and reactions, ubiquinone cycle, the proton pumps, the proton gradient as a form of energy storage (translocase of the adenylic nucleotides and thermogenin) Oxidative phosphorylation. Energy efficiency. The shuttle systems (malate-aspartate and glycerol-phosphate). METABOLISM of LIPID,PROTEINS and METABOLIC INTERRELATIONSHIPS: Transport of lipids in the blood. AcilCoA synthase, role and regulation of the transport of carnitine, beta-oxidation of saturated, unsaturated and with odd number of C fatty acids: reactions and energy efficiency; synthesis and meaning of ketone bodies. Palmitate synthesis, elongation and desaturation reactions, transport of citrate and malic enzyme role. Lipogenic and glucogenic amino acids, trans-deamination, role of alanine and glutamine. Nitrogen metabolism and urea cycle. Metabolic interrelationships. LABORATORY METHODS. General principles of analytical and preparative techniques commonly used in the biochemical laboratory: chromatography (TLC, HPLC, GLC) and spectrophotometry (Beer-Lambert law, calibration curve, single and dual beam spectrophotometer, fluorimeter).

GENERAL CHEMISTRY AND ORGANIC

Code	GP005389
CFU	3
Teacher	Tiziana Del Giacco
Teachers	Tiziana Del Giacco
Hours	30 ore - Tiziana Del Giacco
Learning activities	Base
Area	Discipline applicate agli studi medico-veterinari
Academic discipline	CHIM/06
Type of study-unit	Obbligatorio (Required)
Language of instruction	Italian
Contents	General introduction to chemistry. GENERAL CHEMISTRY: atomic structure of the elements, reactivity and interatomic bonds, concentration and properties of solutions, chemistry in action: the reactions. Organic chemistry: functional groups, isomerism, reaction mechanisms, classes of compounds and related reactions.
Reference texts	Suggested books: Dario Ghigo “Elementi di chimica generale e organica. Per i corsi di area sanitaria.” Libreria Universitaria Bettelheim, Brown, Campbell, Farrell "Chimica e propedeutica biochimica" Edises Slides of lectures and bibliography provided by the teacher.
Educational objectives	The main objective of this course is to provide students with the basic knowledge of general and organic chemistry, a fundamental prerequisite for further study in various fields of chemistry and biology, with particular reference to biochemical processes. D1. Knowledge and understanding The main knowledge acquired will be in the field of general chemistry: atomic and molecular structure of matter, chemical reactivity, thermodynamic and equilibrium, the properties of the solutions; in the field of organic chemistry: nomenclature, structure and reactivity of the main functional groups (from hydrocarbons to organic compounds containing hetero atoms), reaction mechanisms by the which the transformations of organic compounds can be rationalized and the basic principles of isomerism. D2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding The carrying out of the exercises pertinent to the topics covered in the lectures allows the student to evaluate and verify the knowledge acquired. D3 - Autonomy of judgment The course aims to stimulate students to a personal reworking of the topics covered in class, supported by the help of literature and specific texts. D4- Communication skills The student will have to acquire the ability to present the topics of the course in a clear way and with language properties, correctly using the formalism of the studied subject. D5 - Learning skills At the end of the course students will be able to use the basic concepts of general and organic chemistry for the subsequent development of specific skills in the medical-veterinary field. In particular they will be able to use the knowledge gained to understand at molecular level the cells and animal organism biological mechanisms. The understanding of the reaction mechanisms will allow the student to rationalize the transformations of organic compounds in biochemistry.
Prerequisites
Teaching methods	The lessons are organized as follows: Face-to-face lessons (26 hours) on the topics envisaged by the current program, supported by Power Point and blackboard; at the end of each topic are provided examples that are designed to facilitate, increase and improve learning. Practical training (4 hours) which consist in the resolution of questions regarding the stoichiometric calculations applied to solutions, the pH, colligative properties and buffer solutions. It is also planned experiments on some topics of the course performed in the laboratory. Students will be divided into 4 groups, each of 20 students.
Other information
Learning verification modality
Extended program	INTRODUCTION TO CHEMISTRY GENERAL CHEMISTRY 1) Atomic structure of the elements-reactivity and interatomic bonds: atomic structure, orbitals, electronic configuration, periodic properties of the elements, reactivity of the elements and octet rule, the chemical bond, hybridization, structural formulas, resonance. (5 h) 2) Weak intermolecular interactions (van der Waals and London forces, hydrogen bonding); concentration and solution properties: molecular weight and mol, solutions, stoichiometry, colligative properties. (4 h) 3) The chemistry in action-the reactions: kinetics, thermodynamics, chemical equilibrium, catalysis, acids and bases, pH, titration, buffer systems, redox reactions. (4 h) ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 1) Functional groups. (3 h) 2) Isomerism. (3 h) 3) Ways in which the reactions take place: reaction mechanisms. (2 h) 4) Classes of compounds and their reactions: alkanes, alkenes and alkynes; aromatic hydrocarbons; alcohol, ethers, and sulfur compounds; aldehydes and ketones; carboxylic acids; amines. (5 h)

INTRODUCTORY BIOCHEMISTRY

Code	GP005390
CFU	3
Teacher	Luca Avellini
Teachers	Luca Avellini
Hours	30 ore - Luca Avellini
Learning activities	Base
Area	Discipline della struttura, funzione e metabolismo delle molecole di interesse biologico
Academic discipline	BIO/10
Type of study-unit	Obbligatorio (Required)
Language of instruction	Italian
Contents	Structure, chemical properties and reactivity of functional groups in Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins and Nucleotides. Structure of biological membrane and membrane transport. The structure-function relationship in proteins.
Reference texts	Bettelheim, Brown, Campbell, Farrell "Chimica e Propedeutica Biochimica" EdiSESM.L. Nelson, M.M. Cox "Principi di Biochimica di Lehninger" Zanichelli
Educational objectives	KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING The student must have knowledge of: - the basic elements to understand chemical-physical properties and the reactivity of functional groups present in biological molecules; - structural classification and metabolic properties of carbohydrates, lipids, aminoacids and nucleotides; - biochemical catalysis and macromolecular interaction principles. APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING At the end of the course the student must have developed the following skills: - recognise functional chemical groups in biological macromolecules and predict their chemical reactivity: - apply the basic knowledge on kinetics, thermodynamics, oxidation-reduction reactions and acid-base equilibrium, acquired in the course of "General and Organic Chemistry" to the study of biochemistry - understanding the function of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins, enzyme kinetics, the enzymatic kinetic and bioenergetics; - competence to discuss (on) the individual reactions of metabolic pathways studied in the module of General and Applied Biochemistry in a reasoned way. AUTONOMY OF JUDGMENT The student must be able to argue critically and independently the connections between chemistry and biology. COMMUNICATION SKILLS At the end of the training, the student must be able to organize and expose the acquired knowledge supporting them with argumentative rigor, completeness, language properties and connection skills into other contexts both in written and oral form. LIFELONG LEARNING SKILLS At the end of the course the student will be able to: - integrate autonomously the acquired knowledge by consulting and understanding scientific texts, bibliographic updates, so as to employ them in different contexts, including research; - use the acquired know-how to understand the contents of the subsequent teachings such as biochemistry, physiology and nutrition.
Prerequisites
Teaching methods	- Face-to-face lectures (26 hours) on all subjects referred in the program- Practical lessons (overall 4 hours) will be done at the teaching labs (basement of the main building) or in classroom for the in-depth analysis and implementation of some topics treated by lectures. Students will be divided into 4 groups (maximum 15 students per group).
Learning verification modality
Extended program	Recalls to organic chemistry: substitution, addition and elimination reactions. Nucleophiles and electrophiles. Oxidation states of Carbon. Basicity of the amines. The biological molecules:Carbohydrates - Monosaccharides and steric series: aldoses and ketoses, cyclic structures and hemiacetals, anomers and mutarotation, aldol condensation, keto-enol tautomerism and interconversion between aldoses and ketoses; glycosidic bond and formation of acetals, di- and poly-saccharides.Lipids - Fatty acids saturated, unsaturated and essential, esterification, glycerolipids, amphipathic molecules, micelles and bilayers. Sterols. Biological membrane model, mesomorfism thermotropic and concept of membrane fluidity.Poteins - Amino acids and their reactions: zwitterion, decarboxylation, deamination, alpha-beta elimination, hemiamminal and Shiff bases, the role of pyridoxal phosphate. The peptide bond, the 4 levels of protein structure, conformational changes, denaturation and renaturation.Nucleotides - purines and pyrimidines, nucleosides and N-glycosidic bond; ribose and desossiribose. Phosphoanhydride bond. Introduction to metabolism: Membrane transports (simple and facilitated diffusion, transporters and channels, primary and secondary active transport, affinity, specificity and Vmax). Cell compartmentalization. Protein-ligand interaction and conformational modification.