Undergraduate Course: Receptors, signalling and regulation of cell responsiveness (BIME10007)
Course Outline
| School | School of Biomedical Sciences |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Biomedical Sciences |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | Receptor-mediated signal transduction is a key process through which extracellular molecules such as neurotransmitters, hormones, growth factors exert controlling influences on receptive cells. A wide variety of ligands, receptor types and intracellular signals allows pleiotropic control of physiological, metabolic and neural activity.
The integration of positive and negative influences underpins normal systems function but intracellular signals can crucially also drive alterations in cellular responsiveness to allow for adaptive physiological responses in the nervous system and peripheral tissues. Dysfunction in these processes can underlie pathology, so targeting the molecules and molecular interactions involved is the core theme of many pharmacological therapeutic strategies.
The content will focus on the properties and influences of G protein-coupled receptors but will include other receptor types where relevant. We will investigate structure and function, signal transduction and downstream pathways, protein:protein interactions, endocytosis and recycling and newly discovered areas of signalling. We will then focus on related mechanisms such as phosphorylation, protein docking and trafficking, effects on transcription and translation and how these bring about plasticity of responsiveness in normal and pathological conditions in both neurons and examples of peripheral cell types. We will further evaluate whether specific molecular interactions in these processes could represent targets for novel pharmacological agents to treat unmet therapeutic needs.
The course will consist of a mixture of lectures and seminars, with focused workshop/debate and tutorial sessions. The in-course assessment will involve a short Powerpoint presentation of a relevant research paper (10% of total mark) and a succinct written analysis of a recent ¿Trends-type¿ review article (10% of total mark).
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed
Biomedical Sciences 3 (BIME09008)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students who are either enrolled on the BSc (Hons) Medical Sciences, or who spent their third year abroad, or who are taking an intercalated year, are exempt from the requirement to have taken and passed Biomedical Sciences 3 |
| Additional Costs | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 1, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
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Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
15/09/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 28,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 16,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 4,
Summative Assessment Hours 4,
Revision Session Hours 4,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
140 )
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| Additional Notes |
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| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
80 %,
Coursework
20 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course students should be able to:
¿ understand key concepts in receptor biology, signal transduction and processes by which receptor-mediated intracellular signals can modify cell responsiveness, both in the nervous system and in peripheral tissues.
¿ understand how established or potential new drugs interacting with these targets might provide therapeutic benefit
¿ interpret original experimental data and discuss the significance of the findings.
¿ demonstrate the ability to openly debate scientific issues.
¿ demonstrate the ability to illustrate and present relevant information in a Powerpoint presentation.
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Assessment Information
Written exam 80%
Course work 20% (Essay 10% plus Presentation 10%)
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Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Course contributor: Rory Mitchell |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Receptors, Signal transduction, Plasticity |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Sue Fleetwood-Walker
Tel: (0131 6)51 1696
Email: S.M.Fleetwood-Walker@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Lisa Ketchion
Tel: (0131 6)51 1629
Email: Lisa.Ketchion@ed.ac.uk |
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