The course will provide basic knowledge in molecular and cell biology, and describe the molecular tools that biologists use in order to study and label molecules and structures of interest, in particular using fluorescence microscopy.
I Introduction (4h)
- What is life ?
- Biomolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids)
- Cell organization, types and structures (organelles, sizes, functions)
- DNA, RNA and proteins, genetic code
- Cell division (mitosis and meiosis)
II – Experimental model systems and methodology(3h)
- Cell and animal model systems in biology
- Experimental approaches for studying biology
- Molecular cloning, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR, RT-PCR)
III – Fluorescent labeling (3h)
- Chemical labeling of proteins, immunofluorescence
- Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), genetic fusions
IV – Cells in organs (3h)
- Cell types
- Cell differentiation
- Stem cells
V – Gene regulation (3h)
- The central Dogma of molecular Biology
- The basic mechanisms of genetic regulation: enhancers, promoters, transcription factors
- Gene regulatory networks