Biochemistry

Lecture
- Thermodynamic principles, weak and strong chemical bonds
- Proteins: structure and function
- Myoglobin and hemoglobin: oxygen transport
- Enzymes: kinetic, catalysis and regulation
- Carbohydrates: mono e polysaccharides, proteoglycans e glycoproteins
- Glucose catabolism: glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway
- Glycogen metabolism and gluconeogenesis
- Krebs cycle
- Electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation
- Photosynthesis and glyoxylate cycle
- Structure, function of lipids and lipid metabolism: β-oxidation and synthesis of fatty acids, ketone bodies
- The pathway of mevalonate: cholesterol, isoprenoids, bile acids and steroid hormones
- Metabolism of amino acids
- Metabolism of purinic and pyrimidinic nucleotides
- Biochemistry of digestion processes. Rumen
- Metabolism integration
- Biological membranes and transport of solutes through the membranes
- Cellular regulation and principles of signal transduction

Overview of methods in biochemical research:
Spectrophotometric techniques
Exploring proteins
Monodimensional electrophoresis and western blotting
LABORATORIES
Using data banks
Spectrophotometric assay for the determination of proteins
Analysis and quantification of metabolites in biological samples
Measurement of enzymatic activity
Protein electrophoresis and western blot

ORGANIZATION OF TOPICS
Introduction, principles of thermodynamics, weak and strong chemical bonds
Proteins: structure and function
Myoglobin and hemoglobin: oxygen transport
Enzymes: kinetics, catalysis and regulation
Carbohydrates: mono e polysaccharides, proteoglycans e glycoproteins
Glucose catabolism: glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway
Glycogen metabolism and gluconeogenesis
Krebs cycle
Electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation
Photosynthesis and glyoxylate cycle
Structure, function of lipids and lipid metabolism: β-oxidation and synthesis of fatty acids, ketone bodies
The mevalonate pathway: cholesterol, isoprenoids, bile acids and steroid hormones
Amino acid metabolism
Metabolic integration
Biological membranes and transport of solutes across membranes
Cellular regulation and principles of signal transduction
Overview of methods in biochemical research:
Spectrophotometric techniques
Techniques for the separation of biologically active molecules (size-exclusion chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography, affinity chromatography, HPLC, GLC)
Electrophoresis

LABORATORY
Spectrophotometric assay for the determination of proteins
Protein and nucleic acid electrophoresis
Genotyping of genetically modified animals by PCR
Analysis and quantification of nucleic acids in biological samples by qPCR

REQUIRED PROPAEDEUTIC KNOWLEDGE AND EXAM:
· Propaedeutic knowledge: general and inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, biology and cell biology, physics, genetics
· Exam: the exam will be a written test with questions and multiple choices, followed by an oral test