Molecular Biology of Prokaryotes
Code: 100985 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2500502 Microbiology | OB | 3 | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Jordi Barbé García
- Email:
- jordi.barbe@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject. Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2023.
Teachers
- Susana Campoy Sanchez
Prerequisites
+ Students are advised to review the scientific-technical content on which this subject is based
+ It is advisable to take this course once all the subjects programmed in the first and second years of the Degree of Microbiology have been studied, especially the subjects of Microbiology, Genetics, Molecular Biology of Eukaryotes, and Virology since it is essential to have reached the competences of all of them to reach those associated to the subject of Prokaryotic Molecular Biology.
Objectives and Contextualisation
It is a compulsory subject of the Microbiology Bachelor Degree, which introduces students to the knowledge of Molecular Biology of Prokaryotes. This subject is fundamental in the formation of the student since it enables him to understand the functioning of prokaryotes at the molecular level, allowing an understanding of the potential of microorganisms in the productive sector as well as their possible applications.
The specific objectives to be achieved in this subject are the following:
- Know how to identify at the molecular level the mechanisms and microbiological processes
- Know how to identify the structure of the prokaryotic genetic material, know its mechanisms of replication and repair as well as the organizational variability they present and the relationship between these mechanisms and the cell cycle.
- Recognize the factors that control gene expression in prokaryotes and relate them to existing environmental conditions.
- To know the molecular mechanisms existing in prokaryotic organisms to control the entry of exogenous genetic material.
- Know the different genetic elements existing in prokaryotes, their distribution capacity, and control systems for the expression of the genes they include.
- Recognize the molecular basis of antibiotic resistance, its origins, transmission mechanisms, and the impact they have on infectious processes.
Competences
- Communicate orally and in writing.
- Develop creativity and initiative.
- Identify and solve problems.
- Identify the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis and relate them to the response to infection in order to design and develop strategies for diagnosing and combating diseases caused by microorganisms.
- Interpret, on a molecular scale, microbial mechanisms and processes.
- Use bibliography or internet tools, specific to microbiology or other related disciplines, both in English and in the first language.
Learning Outcomes
- Communicate orally and in writing.
- Describe the molecular mechanisms related to the infectious capacity of microorganisms.
- Develop creativity and initiative.
- Discern the characteristics of the different genetic elements and their evolutionary and functional importance.
- Evaluate the functioning, the importance and the variability of chromosomal and plasmidic conjugation systems.
- Identify and solve problems.
- Identify the differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes on the molecular scale.
- Know the principles behind mutagenic processes in bacteria and the importance of DNA repair in the life of cells and in bacterial evolution.
- Recognise the molecular bases of resistance to antibiotics and the capacity of transmitting this resistance, and their impact on microbial pathogenesis.
- Solve problems in molecular aspects of microorganisms.
- Understand the bacterial cell cycle process and relate it to chromosome replication.
- Understand the different systems of transformation in prokaryotes.
- Understand the mechanisms of transduction and their importance in the transfer of genetic material.
- Understand the relationship between bacteriophages and bacterial cells and the mechanisms that control the gene expression of bacteriophages.
- Use bibliography or internet tools, specific to microbiology or other related disciplines, both in English and in the first language.
Content
The subject will be organized into two different parts:
- Participatory theoretical classes
- Resolution of practical cases, in which theoretical concepts are applied to solve problems and real cases associated with the subject matter.
The content of the subject consists of the following lessons:
Lesson 1. The bacterial chromosome. Structure of the bacterial chromosome. Start replication. Replication, termination, and segregation of the bacterial chromosome. Cellular division. The bacterial cell cycle.
Lesson 2. Gene Expression in Prokaryotes I. Structure of bacterial promoters. Monocistronic and polycistronic RNAs. Start and elongation of the bacterial transcript. Bacterial transcription terminators. Degradation of the mRNA. Transcription in archaea. Transcriptional attenuation and regulation of transcription.
Lesson 3. Gene expression in prokaryotes II. Global modulators of gene expression. Multigenic networks. Stressful response. Repression by catabolite. Positive and negative transcriptional regulation. Transcriptional regulators. Bacterial operons. Posttranscriptional regulations. Regulones. Regulatory RNAs.
Lesson 4. Mutagenesis and DNA repair systems in bacteria. Conditional lethal mutations. Suppressor muttations. Mismatch repair. Photoreactivation. Reparation by excision. Adaptive response to alkylating agents. Emergency repair response or SOS system.
Lesson 5. Bacterial Restriction. DNA restriction and modification systems. Types of restriction enzymes. In vivo regulation of restriction-modification. Mcr / Mrr System. CRISPRs and other immunity systems of bacteria.
Lesson 6. The bacterial-bacteriophage cell system. Attenuated and lytic bacteriophages. Lambda and P22 bacteriophages as attenuated bacteriophage models. Transduction. Phage conversion.
Lesson 7. Mobile genetic elements in bacteria. Insertion sequences. Transposons. Transposition mechanisms and their regulation. Mutagenesis with transposons. Mobile pathogenicity islands. Integrons. Other Mobile genètic elements.
Lesson 8. Plasmids and conjugation. Molecular structure and property of plasmids. Mechanisms of maintenance. Aggregation and cointegration of plasmids. Replication. Incompatibility groups. Plasmid conjugation in Gram-negative and Gram-positive cells. Mobilization of the bacterial chromosome. Other conjugative elements (ICEs). Importance of the conjugative elements in the evolution of the microbial world.
Lesson 9. Mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance. Plasmid resistance. Chromosomal resistance. Mechanisms of antimicrobial inactivation. Synthesis of alternative enzymes. Resistances by alternative metabolic pathways. Modifications of cellular structures by plasmid enzymes. Mechanisms of distribution of plasmid resistances.
Lesson 10. Molecular biology of bacterial infection. Molecular aspects of the host-pathogen interaction. Concept and types of bacterial virulence factors. Regulation of virulence gene expression. Methods of study of virulence genes.
Methodology
The subject of Molecular Biology of Prokaryotes consists of two modules face-to-face of activities:
Theoretical module: composed of participatory master classes.
Case resolution module: consisting of sessions in which practical cases and problems will be solved.
These classes are sessions with a reduced number of students with the dual mission of:
a) To facilitate the understanding of the knowledge exposed in the theoretical classes. The resolution of practical cases should enable the student to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical aspects.
b) To train the student to design basic experiments associated with the subject of the subject and to know how to interpret the obtained data.
At the beginning of the course the student will receive a dossier with a proposal of problems that must be developed during the course. The sessions of this module deal with methodological aspects and solve some of the problems of the dossier.
With the aim that the concepts to be used in the sessions of resolution of practical cases are always coordinated with the contents already developed in the theory classes, in certain moments of the course reordering and / or exchanges between the classes of theory and problems.
The autonomous activities of this subject are: study, reading of texts and resolution of problems. Finally, the student also has individual tutorials, which will be held in office C3-421 or C3-323 during hours previously agreed with the teaching team.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Participatory master classes | 30 | 1.2 | 13, 8, 2, 4, 11, 12, 14, 7, 9, 1, 5 |
| Practical cases resolution | 15 | 0.6 | 13, 8, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12, 14, 6, 7, 9, 10, 1, 5 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Individual tutorials | 1 | 0.04 | 13, 8, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12, 14, 6, 7, 9, 10, 15, 5 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Autonomous practical cases resolution | 30 | 1.2 | 13, 8, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12, 14, 6, 7, 9, 10, 1, 15, 5 |
| Reading recommended texts | 8 | 0.32 | 13, 8, 2, 4, 11, 12, 14, 7, 9, 15, 5 |
| Study | 60 | 2.4 | 13, 8, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12, 14, 7, 9, 10, 15, 5 |
Assessment
The evaluation of the course, which will be individual and continuous, consists of three activities of two different types without any of these activities exceeding 50% of the final grade:
i) Two written tests in which the student must demonstrate the degree of achievement of theoretical concepts through the resolution of problems;
ii) The delivery of the resolution of a concrete practical case for which it will have to apply in a global way the knowledge developed in the different subjects of the course interconnected among them.
If any student is 30 minutes late from the start of any of the written tests, he/she will have a non-evaluable mark for the corresponding test.
The first test will take place in the middle of the semester and will include all the concepts worked on so far in the theoretical sessions and in the resolution of practical cases. The second will be carried out at the end of the semesterand will include all the concepts addressed in the theory and problem-solving classes that have not been subject to evaluation in the first test. In order to be able to perform the average of the grades obtained in both partial tests none of them may be less than 4.
Students who have not passed the value of 4 in any of the partial tests or in any of them, must examine the partial or partial pending on the day of the recovery test. If only the recovery of a written test is made, the grade obtained in it will average (provided it is equal to or greater than 4) that would have been in the test exceeded to which will be added the score obtained in the practical case delivered. If the recovery is made for the two partials, the final grade will be the one obtained in this final exam plus the grade obtained in the practical case delivered.
Students who have passed the two written tests may take a grade improvement test that will take place on the date scheduled for the recovery test. The presentation to the grade improvement test may be for one or for both written tests, and implies the resignation of the qualification previously obtained for the performed grade improvement test/s. If the improvement is for the two written tests, the final grade for the subject will be the one obtained in the former plus the score achieved in the practical case resolution delivered. If the improvement is only for a single written test, then the final grade will be the average of the former (if it is greater or equal than 4) with that obtained in the written test that has not been reassessment plus the qualification in the submitted case.
Students who wish to take the grade improvement test, either for one or both partials, must notify the professor responsible for the subject in writing at least 72 hours before the day scheduled for the recovery evaluation, explicitly indicating thewaiver of the grade. obtained in the previous exam for which they want to improve the grade
Due to the existing limitations for the awarding of honor qualifications, specific tests may be scheduled for this purpose.
Students who have not participated in 50% of the evaluation activities will be considered NO RATING ASSESSABLE.
Single evaluation:
The single evaluation consists of a single summary test in which all the contents of the theory program and the ability to solve problems will be assessed. The grade obtained in the test will mean 100% of the final grade of the subject. The test will be scheduled on the same day as the test of the second written test of the continuous assessment. To pass it, the grade must be equal to or greater than 5. Otherwise, it will be necessary to take the recovery evaluation, which will be as the former, and in which the student must obtain a grade equal to or greater than 5 to be able to pass the subject.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two face to face examen and delivery of a case resolution | Value of each one of two examens will be 45 % of the end qualification and delivery of the case correctly resolved a 10 % | 6 | 0.24 | 13, 8, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12, 14, 6, 7, 9, 10, 1, 15, 5 |
Bibliography
Larry Snyder and Wendy Champness. Molecular Genetics of Bacteria (5th Edition). ASM press (ISBN: 978-1555819750)
Larry Snyder and Wendy Champness. Molecular Genetics of Bacteria (4th Edition). ASM press (ISBN:978-1555816278)
Availaible on line (https://bibcercador.uab.cat/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=34CSUC_UAB:VU1&tab=Everything&docid=alma991006830019706709&context=L)
Jeremy W. Dale and Simon F. Park. Molecular Genetics of Bacteria (5th Edition). Wiley- Blackwell (ISBN: 978-0-470-74184-9)
All the information associated with the subject as well as the link to the online application is available to the student through the Virtual Campus.
Software
Not done