Life Sciences

FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING MATTER
. Complexity
∙ Growth capacity
∙ Self-reproduction ability
∙ Adaptation to the environment

CELL ORGANIZATION
∙ Cellular theory
∙ Fundamental properties of cell
. Prokaryotic cell and eukaryotic cell
∙ Monocellular and multicellular organisms
∙ Evolutionary processes
. Compartmentation of eukaryotic cells
∙ Cytoskeleton: microtubules, microfilaments and intermediate filaments: structure and functions

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF LIVING MATTER
∙ Inorganic and organic compounds
∙ Biological macromolecules
∙ The biological importance of water
∙ Structure and function of nucleic acids
∙ The flow of information between biological macromolecules

THE BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES
∙ Structure and function of biological membranes


THE CELL MEMBRANE SYSTEM
∙ Endoplasmic reticulum
∙ Golgi apparatus
. Nuclear envelope
∙ Lysosomes
∙ Peroxisomes
∙ Structure and function

INFORMATION FLOW IN LIVING MATTER
. DNA as hereditary material
. Demonstration that DNA is the hereditary material: Hershey and Chase experiment
∙ Central dogma of biology
. DNA replication: Meselson and Stahl experiment
. Generalities on the structure of the eukaryotic gene

TRANSCRIPTION AND TRANSLATION
∙ Notes on the mechanisms of transcription and maturation of mRNAs
∙ Structure of the ribosome
∙ Structure of the tRNA
. The genetic code
. Translation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION
regulation of gene expression in prokaryotes

EPITHELIAL TISSUE:
· main characteristics of epithelial tissue
· classification of epithelial tissue
· locations
EPITHELIAL GLANDS
· main characteristics of epithelial glands
· classification
· type of secretion
· mechanism of secretion
· locations
CONNECTIVE TISSUE:
· general structure and function of connective tissue
· extracellular matrix
· connective tissue cells
· classification
· Connective tissue proper
CARTILAGE:
· main characteristics of cartilage
· growth of cartilage
· types of cartilage
BONE:
· main characteristics of bone tissue
· classification of bone
· bone matrix
· cells of bone tissue
· ossification
BLOOD:
· plasma
· formed elements
· hematopoiesis (mention)
· ABO blood group system
MUSCLE TISSUE:
· SKELETAL MUSCLE
· characteristics of the skeletal muscle cell or fiber
· myofibril
· components of the thin and thick filaments of the sarcomere
· mechanism of muscle contraction
· CARDIAC MUSCLE
· characteristics of the cardiocytes
· SMOOTH MUSCLE
· characteristics of smooth muscle cells
· mechanism of contraction
NERVOUS TISSUE:
· cell types: neurons and glia
· types of neurons
· nerve fiber
· synapse

MOLECULAR BASIS OF INHERITANCE. Chromosomes; somatic and germinal cells; chromosome and ploidy structure; mitosis and meiosis; male and female gametogenesis
MENDELIAN GENETICS. Mendel's laws; genotype and phenotype; gene, allele, locus; multiple allelism. Incomplete dominance and codominace (blood groups). Associated genes.
INHERITANCE IN HUMANS. Simple and complex diseases. Representation of family trees; model of inheritance (examples of mendelian genetic diseases).
MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY. Spontaneous and induced mutations (mutagens); germline and somatic mutations; mosaicism; molecular bases: phenotypic effects (missense, nonsense, frameshift and splicing mutations).
HUMAN KARYOTYPE. Morphology and classification of human chromosomes; prenatal and postnatal chromosomal analysis;
CHROMOSOMAL ANOMALIES. Main chromosomal anomalies. Number chromosomal anomalies: polyploidies and aneuploidies of autosomes and heterosomes in humans. X-inactivation and PAR regions. Structure balanced chromosomal anomalies: inversion, translocation (including robertsonian translocation) and imbalanced: deletion, duplication.