CHOICE HAV401V

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1- Linux Basics (1.5 hours lecture + 3 hours lab): Basic commands for navigating Linux and understanding the logic of this language. Short exercises in extracting information using Bash/shell. Material covered for the analysis of alignment files.

2- Databases (3 hours of lectures + 4.5 hours of lab sessions): become familiar with the main bibliographic and biological databases (NCBI, Ensembl, Galaxie, etc.). Learn how to perform relevant and effective searches, analyze and sort data, and describe the various formats

3- Sequence Analysis (1.5 hours of lecture + 4.5 hours of lab): Sequence alignment and comparison, with a brief introduction to phylogenetics (dot plot, BLAST, etc.)

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This required course in the fourth semester (S4) allows students to consolidate and expand upon the fundamentals of molecular biology and cell biology they acquired in their first year (L1).

- Cell Biology: The course will cover four major topics: 1) The function of the cellular cytoskeleton, 2) Cell adhesion, 3) Protein trafficking, 4) An introduction to cell cycle regulation. Cell biology methodologies will also be presented: immunoprecipitation to detect protein interactions, fluorescence video microscopy to track the dynamics of cellular distribution, and assessment of the importance of proteins of interest in a cellular process using strategies to modulate their expression (RNA interference, overexpression).

- Molecular Biology: After gaining an understanding of the mechanisms of transcription and translation in Semester 3, we will explore the regulation of gene expression: transcriptional regulation (repressors, activators) and attenuation in prokaryotes, as well as the fundamentals of gene expression regulation mechanisms in eukaryotes.

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This course unit builds on the Biochemistry S3 course unit. This course unit places greater emphasis on practical aspects. The principles of common biochemistry techniques (protein separation techniques, protein quantification by spectrophotometry, Western blot/ELISA, etc.) will be covered in lectures, followed by experiments related to these techniques during lab sessions. Students will be expected to interpret and analyze the experiments conducted during the lab sessions.

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The objective of this course unit is to understand evolutionary processes at both the micro- and macro-evolutionary scales.

Using examples, hands-on activities, and accessible modeling, the course will aim to present, in a concrete and quantitative way, the effects of the four evolutionary forces operating at the individual and population levels (mutation, migration, selection, and genetic drift). The integration of these microevolutionary processes into larger timescales (e.g., lineage differentiation, speciation) will then be addressed. Finally, the course unit will include an introduction to phylogenetic tools (interpreting and constructing phylogenetic trees) that enable the study of macroevolutionary events (diversification, extinction) and the tracing of changes in character states, particularly by incorporating fossil data.

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The “Major Physiological Functions” course (Semester 4) aims to describe the role and interactions of the body’s various systems that work together to maintain a constant internal environment. Students will acquire anatomical and functional knowledge of the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and renal systems, as well as their neural and hormonal controls. Students will understand the combined action of these major systems through examples of integrative physiology and pathologies: respiratory and cardiac failure; hemorrhage; and exposure to extreme environments.

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This course unit aims to provide a deeper understanding, in small groups through tutorial and lab sessions, of the fundamental molecular and cellular processes covered in the BMC2 and BMC3 courses by approaching them through more concrete concepts. Instruction will be based on real-world data (experimental results, scientific articles) to clearly explain key scientific approaches and teach students how to analyze and interpret results (Example 1: demonstrating an in vivo interaction through the expression of labeled proteins in cell lines, followed by immunoprecipitation and Western blot). Example 2: the principle of immunofluorescence; intracellular distribution of an antigen. Example 3: in vitro transcription and translation, and the study of interactions via GST pull-down). The lab sessions will illustrate some of these basic approaches: cell culture, construction of expression vectors, transfection, immunolabeling, and fluorescence microscopy.   

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This required course will enable students to build on the skills they acquired in “Biochemistry S3.” It will help them understand cellular metabolism by:

-an understanding of bioenergetics in order to study the processes by which living cells transport, transmit, utilize, store, and release energy;
-the study of the catabolism and anabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, nucleotides, and amino acids, as well as the metabolic interactions between these pathways.

- a description of metabolic disorders.

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In this introductory course on genetic analysis, the objectives are to become familiar with the terminology, principles, concepts, and methods used in formal genetics, as well as their applications, particularly in human and medical genetics. This course covers the genetics of inheritance (Mendelian and non-Mendelian), quantitative genetics, and basic concepts of population genetics. Throughout the course, close connections are drawn between classical genetics and molecular genetics.

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