THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELING

Course objectives

General skills At the end of the course and upon passing the exam, the student will have acquired the knowledge and skills on the biochemical and physiological processes specific to prokaryotic cells and will be able to explain in biochemical terms the diversity and lifestyle of the different Bacteria based on structural and nutritional properties and respiratory and fermentative metabolic abilities. The student will acquire specific knowledge related to the biochemical characteristics of microorganisms in the physiological response to stress, in the ability to adapt and communicate between cells. The analytical and learning skills of the students will be exercised through the assignment of original scientific works to be elaborated as oral presentations, useful for the deepening of the experimental methods of genetics and biochemistry used for the study of microbial physiology. The discussion of the presentations of the students in the classroom will allow to deepen the concepts studied in class, improving the communication skills of the students through discussion and interpretation of original experimental data. Specific skills a) knowledge and understanding: knowledge of the biosynthetic pathways that lead to the biogenesis of the peculiar components of the prokaryotic cell and the transport and secretion systems; knowledge of the factors of diversity and metabolic versatility that characterize prokaryotes and that affect respiratory and fermentative microbial growth and metabolism; b) applying knowledge and understanding: ability to recognize and classify microorganisms based on knowledge of their metabolic and respiratory abilities and adaptive strategies; know how to describe the main metabolic pathways proper to prokaryotic cells; c) making judgments: know how to analyze recent literature related to the aspects of biochemistry and microbial physiology and critically reading of the results; know how to apply the knowledge of physiology and biochemistry of bacteria to industrial and biotechnological research projects; d) communication skills: know how to illustrate and explain with appropriate terms and with scientific rigor research reports and scientific publications including aspects of biochemistry and microbial physiology; e) learning skills: acquisition of the fundamentals and cognitive tools to continue independently in the deepening of Microbiology; acquisition of basic knowledge to progress independently in other biological disciplines

Channel 1
ALESSANDRA CARATTOLI Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
Biochemical processes related to biosynthesis of the cell wall, mechanisms for inhibiting the formation of the mureinic cell wall -biogenesis of the outer membrane -extracellular capsules and polysaccharides Transport systems and macromolecule secretion systems Chemotaxis and chemoreceptors Diversity and metabolic versatility of bacteria Mechanism of action and mechanisms of intrinsic and acquired resistance to antibiotics Chemotrophy: chemiorganotrophic and chemolitotrophic bacteria -fermentative metabolism -aerobium and anaerobium respiratory metabolism Main biosynthetic pathways and regulation of catabolic and anabolic systems Microbial response to stress Use of biochemistry to identify microorganisms  
Prerequisites
The Course of Biochemistry and Microbial Physiology takes place in the first year in the first semester. For the full understanding of the topics of the Course are necessary solid foundations of Biochemistry and basic notions of General Microbiology.
Books
Brock (MADIGAN MICHAEL T.-MARTINKO JOHN M.) Biology of Microorganisms or Foundations in Microbiology (Kathleen Park TALARO, Barry CHESS)
Teaching mode
The educational path includes lectures and seminar lessons to deepen specific themes. Exercises are also planned through the assignment of original scientific works to be elaborated as oral presentations, useful for the deepening of the experimental methods of genetics and biochemistry used for the study of microbial physiology. The student illustrates to the whole class through presentation of slides the content of his thematic research. The duration of the exhibition (15-20 minutes) varies depending on the number of students involved. The discussion of the presentations of the students in the classroom will allow to deepen the concepts studied in class and to accustom them to present the research with appropriate graphs and figures and using a clear, synthetic, and scientifically correct language.
Frequency
Attendance is essential for thematic seminars and presentations organized by students.
Exam mode
The ongoing assessment consists of a reverse lesson on a program topic to be presented to the class. The exam has the objective of verifying the level of knowledge and in-depth analysis of the topics of the teaching program, the reasoning skills acquired and the presentation skills. The evaluation is expressed out of thirty (minimum mark 18/30, maximum mark 30/30 with honors). The final assessment consists of an oral exam on the topics brought to class by the teacher. Both the mark obtained in the oral test which is aimed at verifying the knowledge of the topics covered in the course and the mark of the ongoing verification carried out by the student during personal presentations in class contribute to the final grade. To achieve the score of 30/30 cum laude, the student must demonstrate that he has acquired excellent knowledge of the topics covered in the course and an excellent ability to explain specific and advanced topics in a clear and competent way.
Bibliography
Scientific reviews and articles will be available on the e-learning platform. A PDF file of the lessons and the programme of the course is available at the elearning platform. e-learning "Sapienza" con Moodle (uniroma1.it)
Lesson mode
Lessons in class, for students not available lesson can be followed from remote
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseBiochemistry
  • CurriculumSingle curriculum
  • Year1st year
  • Semester1st semester
  • SSDBIO/19
  • CFU3