SHUA13042E Exam in Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology and Advanced Cell Biology

Volume 2022/2023
Education

MSc in Human Biology - compulsory

Content

This exam concludes the courses "Molecular Biology and Genetics", "Advanced Cell Biology" and "Bioinformatics and Systems Biology"

Learning Outcome

Exam

Exam
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Project work
  • 2
  • Exam
  • 1
  • Total
  • 3
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment, -
Oral examination, 1 hour under invigilation
Type of assessment details
The exam consists of an oral examination based partly of a written assignment.

Written assignment: Handing-in of a written project by the provided deadline in the exam plan. 

The project must be written in English and should include an abstract of no more than 250 words, a table of contents, a list of abbreviations, and a reference list of no more than 50 references. The body of the assignment must consist of an introduction, a description of the aim of the project, a results section and a discussion including conclusions and perspectives. The body of the assignment must not exceed 4000 words (excluding the cover page, table of contents, list of abbreviations, captions/figure legends, abstract, and reference list). The project must be presented in 12 point type with a spacing of 1½ lines and shall comprise a minimum 3 and a maximum of 12 figures, tables, or both.

Oral examination (without preparation time): Consisting of a Power-Point presentation (duration approx. 25 minutes) of the students project on a self-chosen cell biological/molecular biological topic followed by a discussion and examination of the project. The oral exam will be concluded with a general examination of the curriculum (approx. 15 minutes) covering the three courses Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology and Advanced Cell Biology.
Exam registration requirements

None

Aid
Without aids

It is only allowed to bring the written project electronically on an USB-stick Computer and projector will be availble during the examination.

 

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Exam period

Week 45

Criteria for exam assesment

To achieve the grade 12, the student shall be able to:

Knowledge

Understand, explain, and take a comprehensive view on:

  • the topic chosen for the written, theoretical project
  • the human genome and the structure of genes,
  • regulation of gene expression,
  • genetic variation,
  • restriction enzyme fragment length polymorphism,
  • cytogenetics,
  • gene mapping,
  • functional and positional cloning,
  • mutations and their consequences,
  • genomic imprinting,
  • genetics of sex chromosomes,
  • multifactorial inheritance,
  • gene diagnostics and gene therapy,
  • cloning and expression vectors,
  • library screening,
  • Southern blotting,
  • polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques,
  • DNA sequencing,
  • cytogenetic methods,
  • molecular biological methods for the detection of mutations and transgene animals

 

Understand, explain, and take a comprehensive view on:

  • the structural elements and hierarchies of protein structures,
  • proteasome-mediated degradation,
  • methods for the detection and characterization of proteins,
  • the protein and lipid composition and the structural organization of biomembranes including type of cellular organelles,
  • membrane transport including demonstration of knowledge of uniport transport of glucose and water,
  • co-transport via symporters and antiporters,
  • ATP-driven pumps,
  • non-gated ion channels and membrane potentials,
  • transport of proteins to membranes and organelles including demonstration of knowledge of transport of secretory proteins across the ER membrane,
  • insertion of proteins in the ER membrane,
  • folding, modification and quality assessment of ER proteins,
  • selection of proteins for mitochondria and transport of proteins in and out of the cell core,
  • fundamental mechanisms of intracellular vesicular transport,
  • the secretory pathway (through the ER, via the Golgi apparatus to lysosomes or plasma membrane),
  • the mechanisms behind receptor-mediated endocytosis,
  • the mechanisms behind lysosomal degradation,
  • signal transduction including demonstration of knowledge of the concepts of primary and secondary messengers and of the function and regulation of GTPases, kinases and phosphatases,
  • signaling through G protein coupled receptors including receptors activating or inhibiting adenylate cylases and receptors activating phospholipase C, signaling which controls gene expression, including signaling via the TGF-smad signaling pathway,
  • the JAK-STAT pathway,
  • receptor tyrosine kinases and activation and signaling via the Ras-MAPK pathway,
  • phosphoinositides and 7TM receptors, and signaling pathways involving signal-induced protein splitting,
  • components and function of the actin cytoskeleton including actin polymer dynamics, formation of actin filaments,
  • transport along actin filaments,
  • myosin structure and function,
  • function of the actin cytoskeleton in connection with cell migration,
  • structure and organization of tubulin, and microtubule dynamics, microtubule-based motor proteins and the function of microtubules during cytokinesis,
  • structure and function of intermediate filaments,
  • components of cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion, including various forms of cell adhesion molecules,
  • components of the extracellular matrix,
  • regulation of the cell cycle, including knowledge of cell cycle phases,
  • cyclins and cyclin- dependant kinases, origins and types of stem cells, regulation of programmed cell death,
  • cancer, including the origin of cancer,
  • the multi-hit model,
  • the difference between benign and malignant tumors, metastasizing,
  • the genetic basis for cancer, including oncogenes and tumor suppressor proteins,
  • structure and function of neurons and brain cells,
  • fundamental mechanisms of action potentials, neurotransmitters, and synaptic transmission,
  • structure and function of the synapse,
  • neurotrophic factors and their role in signaling and brain functions

 

Skills

  • Orally communicate a written, theoretical project on a self-chosen cell/molecular biology subject, and
  • Evaluate and discuss the presented data.
  • Discuss the human genome, the structure of genes, regulation of gene expression, genetic variation, restriction enzyme fragment length polymorphism, cytogenetics, gene mapping, functional and positional cloning, mutations and their consequences, genomic imprinting, genetics of sex chromosomes, multifactorial inheritance, gene diagnostics, and gene therapy, cloning and expression vectors, library screening, Southern blotting, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques, DNA sequencing, cytogenetic methods, molecular biological methods for the detection of mutations and transgene animals
  • Discuss the organization, function and interplay of the organelles of the cell, the cytoskeleton, the plasma membrane (including transport across the membrane and endocytosis), cell adhesion molecules and the extracellular matrix, the regulation of cellular signal transduction, cell proliferation, cell death and the fundamental elements of cancer, the structure and function of neurons and other brain cells, and the structure and function of the synapse, synaptic transmission, action potentials, andneurotransmitters