521-303 Molecular Aspects of Cell Biology

Biochemistry and molecular biology 521-211, 521-212 and either 521-220 or 521-221; or 521-203; or 521-024.

BBiomedSc students: 521-213 and 536-250.

To complement the information explosion of the new genomic era, it is essential to appreciate the cellular architecture of cells and how the delivery of proteins to their correct locations in the cell is crucial for the complex intracellular signalling pathways that control cell morphology, organisation and behaviour.

By the end of the subject the student should have acquired an understanding of the relationships between molecular design, cellular organisation and biological function of normal, stressed and malignant eukaryotic cells, as well as detailed knowledge of the major experimental strategies for investigating the molecular basis of these relationships. The content includes compartmentalisation in eukaryotic cells; intracellular RNA and protein traffic and the role of molecular chaperones in trafficking; the molecular structure, function and biogenesis of subcellular organelles; protein folding and maturation pathways within eukaryotic cells; structure, function and dynamics of membrane receptors; structure and function of the extracellular matrix, cell adhesion molecules and the role of extracellular proteolysis, including in diseased states such as malignancies; cellular stress responses and linked signal transduction events; cytoskeletal components including actin, actin-binding proteins, myosin, tubulin, intermediate filaments, and the signal transduction processes regulating the assembly and disassembly of actin-cytoskeletal structures; and molecular processes determining cell movement and shape changes.

A 2.5-hour end-of-semester written examination (80%) plus continuous assessment based on up to four short tests and/or oral presentation and written assignment (20%).

• B Alberts et al, Molecular Biology of the Cell. 3rd ed., Garland, 1994.
  or
  H Lodish et al, Molecular Cell Biology. 4th ed., Sci. Amer. Books, 2000.