Attendance

COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE OF NUCLEIC ACIDS. Nitrogenous bases, nucleotides, DNA and RNA structure. DNA supercoiling and topoisomerases. DNA denaturation and melting temperature (Tm). Eukaryotic chromatin organization, nucleosomes, histones, and the histone code. RNA: versatility and functions. DNA REPLICATION. DNA replication in E. coli and eukaryotes: DNA polymerase and other factors involved. TRANCRIPTION. RNA polymerase. Transcription in prokaryotes: promoters, sigma factors, transcriptional initiation and termination. Transcription in eukaryotes: RNA polymerase, RNApol II promoters, and general transcription factors. Initiation, elongation, and termination in eukaryotes. Transcriptional regulation in prokaryotes (lac and trp operons) and eukaryotes (transcription factors, enhancers, silencers, insulators). EUKARYOTIC mRNA MATURATION. Capping and polyadenylation. Splicing (spliceosome, snRNAs) and alternative splicing (splice enhancers and silencers, SR proteins, and hnRNPs). Splicing defects and human diseases: Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). TRANSLATION AND NOTES ON TRANSLATIONAL REGULATION. Genetic code. Translation initiation in prokaryotes (RBS) and eukaryotes (cap-dependent mechanism and IRES). Translation elongation and termination. Notes on translational regulation mechanisms: examples of global and transcript-specific control. NON-CODING RNAs. Overview of microRNAs, siRNAs, and RNA interference (RNAi). ANTISENSE OLIGONUCLEOTIDES (ASOs), siRNAs, GENOME EDITING AND THEIR APPLICATIONS IN BIOMEDICINE. Gene-specific inhibition by ASOs, siRNAs, and miRNAs: general aspects and issues (pharmacokinetics, off-target effects, innate immunity). Applications in biomedicine: (1) SMN2 and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (Nusinersen); (2) TTR and hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (patisiran); (3) Genome editing: zinc finger, ta-nuclease, and CRISPR-Cas9. Applications for the treatment of sickle cell anemia and beta-thalassemia. TECHNIQUES. PCR, Real-time PCR, and Digital PCR. DNA sequencing. Overview of gene expression study methods.

Any university-level textbook of Molecular Biology covering the syllabus can be considered adequate, and students can choose the manual that seems to them clearer and more responsive to their needs. Said so, here below are some textbooks where the topics covered in class can be found: - Alberts B. et al. L’essenziale di Biologia molecolare della cellula 5a Edizione Zanichelli 2020 - Amaldi A. et al. BIOLOGIA MOLECOLARE 3a Edizione Editrice Ambrosiana 2018 - Watson J.D. et al. BIOLOGIA MOLECOLARE DEL GENE 7a Edizione Zanichelli 2015 - Teaching material made available by the teacher either on the e-learning or Classroom platforms.