Unit PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY
- Course
- Biology
- Study-unit Code
- 50092605
- Curriculum
- Bionutrizionistico
- Teacher
- Christoph Andreas Gehring
- Teachers
-
- Christoph Andreas Gehring
- Hours
- 42 ore - Christoph Andreas Gehring
- CFU
- 6
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2022
- Offered
- 2022/23
- Learning activities
- Caratterizzante
- Area
- Discipline del settore biomolecolare
- Academic discipline
- BIO/04
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- English
- Contents
- - The course “Plant Biotechnology” will be taught in English and is designed to teach both basic and more advanced tools necessary to analyse gene structure and function(s). We will also cover aspects of systems biology and the use of “omics” technologies in modern biology. - The course comprises lectures that explain the theory behind the tools (e.g. BLAST and functional annotation tools) and exercises that do require a laptop computer and on-line access during the class time. So please, bring your laptop to the lectures.
- You will have to read a number of journal articles that make use of computational approaches and tools, so that we can discuss them in class. I will up-load reading material prior and during the course.
The necessary texts (mainly current literature in the public domain - e.g. PubMed) will be posted on the course page. - Reference texts
- The necessary texts (mainly current literature in the public domain - e.g. PubMed) will be posted on the course page.
- Educational objectives
- Introduction to Systems Biology and “omics” (genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics) approaches to understanding living systems. Specific opportunities and limits of big data approaches in biology and biotechnology. The roles and limits of model species in general and the case of Arabidopsis thaliana. Computational approaches to, and tools for the interpretation of “omics” data. Methods to infer function from transcriptome and proteome data. Form data analyses to data interpretation; inferences form expression correlation and promotor analyses. The value and making of mutants as tools for the study of molecular function and the analyses of metabolic pathways and signaling transduction networks. Identification of functional domains (e.g. catalytic centers or ligand binding sites) based on amino acid sequence motifs and structural modelling. Experimental testing of structural predictions and the use of site directed mutagenesis to establish structure-function relationships. Conserved functional motifs and homology modelling to predict hidden moonlighting functional sites.
The course is designed to introduce the students to the theory and applications of systems biology and structure-function analysis and their
applications to biotechnology. The students will also learn to critically evaluate experimental designs and learn how to cohesively formulate experimental programs relevant in contemporary molecular biology and biotechnology. - Prerequisites
- A basic understanding of molecular biology and in particular recombinant technologies is required.
- Teaching methods
- On-line lectures and on-line computational exercises as well as in class lectures.
We will also run tutorial sessions to discuss conceptual and technical aspects of the course. - Other information
- none
- Learning verification modality
- All students must hand in 3 written assignments - I will correct them and offer feed-back for subsequent re-submissions.
At the end of the course and after satisfactory completion of the assignments, there will be an oral examination - essentially on the topics covered in the assignments. - Extended program
- The course program (including lecture notes) and scope will be published on the course web-site.