Subject
Fundamentals of Molecular Biology
| 1. | Course Title |
Fundamentals of Molecular Biology Fundamentals of Molecular Biology |
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| 2. | Code | Business Information - 01 | ||||||||||||
| 3. | Study Programme | Bioinformatics | ||||||||||||
| 4. | Organizer of the study programme (unit, institute, department or division) | Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering | ||||||||||||
| 5. | Degree level (first, second, third cycle) | Second cycle | ||||||||||||
| 6. | Academic year / semester | 9 / Winter | ||||||||||||
| 7. | Number of ECTS credits | 6 | ||||||||||||
| 8. | Teacher | Saso Panov | ||||||||||||
| 9. | Prerequisites for enrolling in the course | — | ||||||||||||
| 10. | Objectives of the course programme (competences) | Students should acquire basic and advanced knowledge of molecular biology, the structure and function of biomacromolecules (DNA, RNA, and proteins), and the fundamental processes: replication, transcription, and translation. | ||||||||||||
| 11. | Course content | Introduction - basic concepts and historical overview. Definition of molecular biology. A brief historical overview. The central dogma of molecular biology. DNA molecules as carriers of genetic information; the Avery experiment; the Hershey and Chase experiment. Basic characteristics of the hereditary material; structure of DNA; the Watson-Crick model for the structure of the DNA molecule; structural organization of the DNA molecule in chromosomes; the superspiralized structure of circular DNA molecules; nucleosomal organization of DNA in eukaryotes. DNA replication; the Meselson-Stahl experiment; DNA polymerases; replication initiation; replication fork; elongation; replisome - the molecular machine for DNA replication; specifics of DNA replication in eukaryotes; the replication problem of telomeric ends; termination of DNA replication. Transcription - synthesis of RNA based on the DNA template. Structure and function of RNA molecules. Transcription in prokaryotes; transcription initiation, elongation, and termination in E. coli. Transcription in eukaryotes. Post-transcriptional modifications; processing of the 5' and 3' ends of the primary transcript from protein-coding genes. RNA splicing - excision of introns from the primary RNA transcript; alternative splicing. Translation - protein synthesis. The genetic code. Transfer RNA; amino acid attachment to tRNA. Ribosomes as translational machinery. The process of translation; initiation, elongation, and termination of translation. Proteins - nomenclature, size of protein molecules. Levels of protein structure - primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure. Structural classification of proteins. Examples of globular, fibrillar, and membrane proteins. Regulation of translation; post-translational events. Post-translational modification of proteins. | ||||||||||||
| 12. | Learning methods | Lectures supported by slide presentations, interactive lectures, exercises (using equipment and software packages), teamwork, case studies, invited guest lecturers, independent preparation and defense of a project assignment and seminar paper, learning in an electronic environment (forums, consultations). | ||||||||||||
| 13. | Total available time | 6 ECTS x 30 hours = 180 hours | ||||||||||||
| 14. | Distribution of available time | 60 + 0 + 45 + 45 + 30 = 180 hours | ||||||||||||
| 15. | Forms of teaching activities |
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| 16. | Other forms of activities |
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| 17. | Assessment method |
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| 18. | Grading criteria (points / grade) |
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| 19. | Requirement for obtaining a signature and taking the final exam | Activities completed 15 | ||||||||||||
| 20. | Language of instruction | Macedonian and English | ||||||||||||
| 21. | Method for monitoring the quality of teaching | Internal evaluation and survey mechanism | ||||||||||||
| 22. | Literature |
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