Medicine and Surgery

BIOSIGNALING Molecular mechanisms of signal transduction. Hormonal control of metabolism. Nonpeptide and peptide hormones and their receptors. Structure and mechanism of action. Second messengers and signal transduction. Signal transduction in the sense organs. METABOLISM OF NUCLEIC ACIDS Biosynthesis and degradation of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides. Compounds that interfere with the metabolism of nucleotides and their use as chemotherapeutic agents. IRON AND HEME METABOLISM Iron cycle in body: absorption, loss and recycling. Proteins involved in iron transport and storage: transferrin and ferritin. Regulation of cellular and systemic iron metabolism. Heme biosynthesis: mechanism of ALA synthase, PBG synthase and heme synthesis pathway. Porphyrias. Heme catabolism: heme oxygenase, biliverdin reductase.

I principi di biochimica di Lehninger (Nelsen e Cox)