Unit ANIMAL BIOLOGY AND PRINCIPLES OF GENETIC
- Course
- Pharmacy
- Study-unit Code
- A003559
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Maria Laura Belladonna
- Teachers
-
- Maria Laura Belladonna
- Hours
- 48 ore - Maria Laura Belladonna
- CFU
- 6
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2026
- Offered
- 2026/27
- Learning activities
- Base
- Area
- Discipline biologiche
- Sector
- BIOS-10/A
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
Italian- Contents
The eukaryotic cell: molecular and structural organization, and cellular functions. Gene structure, genetic information, and gene expression. The cell cycle and its regulatory mechanisms. Sexual reproduction. Fundamentals of genetics and basic concepts of human genetics. Plant classification and diversity. The plant cell. Plant tissues, organography, and life cycles. Photosynthesis and plant metabolism.- Reference texts
Campbell – Biologia e genetica. Pearson Italia, 12th Edition. ISBN 9788891905567.
Campbell. La forma e la funzione nelle piante. Pearson Italia, 12th Edition. ISBN 9788891918574.- Educational objectives
The main objective of the course is to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the structure and functions of animal and plant cells. Designed for first-year students, the course also aims to introduce the appropriate scientific terminology required to describe biological processes.
Expected Learning Outcomes.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be expected to: acquire an adequate knowledge of cellular organization and functions, with particular emphasis on the animal cell; understand the relationships among the different cellular processes; apply the acquired knowledge to successfully undertake subsequent courses in the biological sciences; communicate the acquired knowledge clearly and accurately using appropriate scientific language.- Prerequisites
To effectively attend and understand the topics covered in this course, students are expected to possess the basic knowledge of chemistry normally acquired during secondary school education. In addition, concurrent attendance of the General and Inorganic Chemistry course is recommended, as it may facilitate the understanding of several topics addressed in the course.- Teaching methods
The course will be delivered through lectures. Classes will be supported by PowerPoint presentations. A PDF version of each presentation will be made available to students through the Unistudium e-learning platform.- Other information
The instructor is available to meet with students by appointment, which should be requested via e-mail.
For information about support services available to students with disabilities and/or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), please visit the following webpage:
University of Perugia – Disability and SLD Services (http://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa).- Learning verification modality
Learning is assessed through an optional written midterm test in November, covering the first part of the syllabus (a multiple-choice test administered on the LibreEOL platform), and a final oral examination on one of the dates listed in the examination calendar. If the student passes the midterm test, the oral examination covers the remaining part of the syllabus. If the student does not take or does not pass the midterm test, the oral examination covers the entire syllabus. A passed midterm test contributes to the final grade.
Students may take the oral examination without having passed the midterm test or any other written test. The oral examination consists of a discussion lasting no more than 30 minutes. It assesses the student’s knowledge and understanding, ability to connect and integrate concepts, clarity of expression, and use of appropriate terminology in cell biology.
The examination is held at the end of the course on the dates listed in the examination calendar. The oral examination is graded on a 30-point scale (minimum passing grade: 18/30; maximum: 30/30 with honors).
Students with specific learning disorders (SLDs) may divide the examination syllabus into two parts, to be agreed with the instructor, and be examined on the two parts on separate but consecutive examination dates.- Extended program
Cellular organization of living organisms. Chemical components of the cell: water and biological macromolecules (proteins, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, and lipids). Principles of bioenergetics. ATP and energy coupling. Enzymes (structure, enzymatic catalysis, and regulation of enzyme activity).
Cell membranes: structure and functions; integral, peripheral, and lipid-anchored proteins; membrane lipids and membrane fluidity; membrane asymmetry. Membrane carbohydrates (glycocalyx and cell recognition). Transport across membranes: osmosis, simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and active transport.
Overview of chemotrophic energy metabolism (glycolysis, fermentation, cellular respiration, and ATP synthesis). Basic concepts of prokaryotic cells.
Structural and functional components of eukaryotic cells: nucleus (structure and function, nuclear envelope, nuclear pore complex, nucleolus); ribosomes (structure and function); endomembrane system (rough endoplasmic reticulum, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus); lysosomes (structure and function, phagocytosis and autophagy); endocytosis and exocytosis; mitochondria; peroxisomes; cytoskeleton (microtubules, microfilaments, and intermediate filaments); basic concepts of microtubule- and microfilament-based motility (vesicular transport and muscle contraction); extracellular matrix and cell junctions.
Chromatin and DNA replication. DNA damage and repair mechanisms. Telomeres. Genes and genomes of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Directional flow of genetic information.
Gene expression: genetic code; transcription; processing of primary transcripts; messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA); translation and protein synthesis; mutations and translation; post-translational processing; protein modifications in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum; glycosylation; protein targeting and sorting; secretory and cytoplasmic pathways; quality control; proteasome-mediated degradation.
Regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes at the genetic, transcriptional, post-transcriptional (siRNA and miRNA), translational (miRNA), and post-translational (proteasome-mediated degradation and functional modifications) levels.
Cell communication: biological significance and characteristics of signaling systems. Types of signals (autocrine, paracrine, endocrine, and neuronal). Electrical signals (basic concepts of membrane potential, electrical excitability, and action potential) and chemical signals. Signal reception and transduction. Examples of signaling pathways mediated by ion-channel receptors, G protein-coupled receptors, enzyme-linked receptors, and intracellular receptors. Apoptotic signaling pathways.
Cell cycle: interphase, DNA replication, mitosis, and cell-cycle control, with particular emphasis on cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Apoptosis.
Neoplastic transformation: characteristics of cancer cells, molecular basis of cancer, tumor etiology, and cancer genetics (proto-oncogenes, oncogenes, and tumor suppressor genes).
Reproduction in sexual life cycles: meiosis, genetic variability, gametogenesis, and fertilization. Chromosomes and karyotypes. Gene, chromosomal, and genomic mutations. Basic concepts of stem cells and cellular differentiation.
Principles of genetics: genotype and phenotype; haploidy and diploidy; dominance and recessiveness; homozygosity and heterozygosity; gene locus and allele; Mendel’s laws; extensions of Mendelian inheritance (incomplete dominance, codominance, and multiple alleles). The ABO blood group system.
Elements of human genetics: normal and abnormal human karyotypes (aneuploidies); autosomes and sex chromosomes (X and Y); Barr body; Mendelian inheritance in humans (pedigree analysis, autosomal dominant and recessive inheritance, X-linked dominant and recessive inheritance, Y-linked inheritance, and mitochondrial inheritance).
Autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms. Fundamentals of plant systematics.
The plant cell: distinctive structures (vacuole, plastids, and cell wall) and their biological functions.
Plant tissue systems (dermal, ground, and vascular tissues) and their functions, including water, mineral, and nutrient uptake and transport, transpiration, and phloem translocation. Meristems and primary and secondary growth.
Plant organography: stem, leaf, flower, fruit, and seed. Overview of angiosperm life cycles.
Photosynthesis: photosystems, light-dependent and light-independent reactions, the Calvin cycle, C4 photosynthesis, and CAM metabolism.
The plant cell as a biochemical factory: overview of primary and secondary metabolism and the production of biologically active compounds.- Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile
Good Health and Well-being; Life on Land