L3- Molecular and Cellular Biology

This course offers an in-depth study of the structural biochemistry of biomolecules, particularly proteins and nucleic acids.

The basic notions and nomenclature used for the analysis of 3D structures of proteins are briefly reviewed (Ramachandran diagram, structural motif and domain, folding, family, superfamily, etc......). These notions are completed by the study of the stability and dynamics of biomolecules.

The structural classification of proteins is detailed according to the 4 main folding types. Structure-function relationships are illustrated with examples of proteins. The specificities of membrane protein structures (integral proteins, membrane-bound proteins) are discussed.

The main tools for modeling and predicting secondary and tertiary structures are presented.

The different structures and functions of nucleic acids are studied. Protein-nucleic acid complexes are described from a structural point of view (main recognition motifs, ...) and the notions of recognition specificity are detailed.

This teaching is illustrated by tutorials. These works consist in getting familiar with the main databases used in structural biology as well as with the PyMol software for the analysis of 3D structures.

See full page

This course describes the methodology used by researchers in the life sciences to communicate the results of their experiments, both in writing and orally. As English is the common language of international researchers, a large part of this course is taught in this language.

Written communication is addressed through the study of the structuring (macro) of a research article as well as through a study of the publication process in scientific journals. Several elements of written structuring (micro) are examined in order to understand the differences between scientific and literary English: clarity, cohesion, coherence.

These studies are complemented by a tutored project during the semester during which students are required to analyze a recently published research article in the scientific literature and to transcribe it into an oral presentation (conference) in English.

See full page

See full page

Molecular biology is both a fascinating subject of study in its own right, but it also provides other disciplines in biology (cell biology, genetics, physiology...) with fantastic tools for modifying and quantifying genes and their products.

The EU provides a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of organization, maintenance, replication and expression (transcription, post-transcriptional modifications, translation) of eukaryotic genomes.

In particular, the properties of information-carrying macromolecules (DNA, RNA, proteins) will be explored, and how the transactions between them explain the functioning of eukaryotic cells and their adaptation to the environment and to the development of organisms.

In parallel, the main techniques for monitoring or modifying gene expression, or for studying the mechanisms of this expression, will be explained in class and further developed in class by analyzing results.

Thus, the tutorials approach these subjects in the form of (1) exercises leading the students to verify their understanding of the knowledge described above, and (2) experiments extracted from scientific articles to be analyzed. Thus, the basics of scientific reasoning and critical analysis of results will be acquired and/or deepened.

See full page

Functional genetics aims to better understand the relationships between genotype and phenotype. This course integrates the different aspects of the analysis of gene and genome function at the whole genome level by in vivo approaches, as well as transcriptional regulation and expression regulation of eukaryotic genomes. The course is illustrated by concrete examples in developmental genetics in physiological and pathological contexts.

See full page

This course allows students to deepen their knowledge of metabolism. This UE allows to apprehend a global vision of the human metabolism. It will insist on the links between the different metabolic pathways. It will also show how the different tissues communicate to maintain a global energy homeostasis. Deregulations of this metabolism at the origin of certain pathologies will be presented.

See full page

This compulsory course for the "Molecular and Cellular Biology" program is designed to deepen and complete the fundamental molecular and cellular processes seen in the BCM2, BCM3 and "Deepening in Cellular and Molecular Biology" courses, mainly in the form of practical work. These courses will focus on the themes of intracellular trafficking, cell cycle and apoptosis in the continuity of the BCM3 course.

A group work will be done in TD during which the students will have to analyze a scientific article to make a structured summary specifying the context of the study, the precise scientific question asked by the authors, the strategies implemented and the techniques used to answer it. This work is intended to help prepare students for the writing of their TER and internship reports in the Master's program.

The tutorials and practical exercises will be carried out in an integrated manner on the same themes as those dealt with in class. The practical sessions will be directly linked to the laboratory sessions. The students will have to ask a question related to a cellular mechanism and, in the respect of the scientific approach, will propose an experimental strategy allowing to answer it. The practical exercises will allow the application of this strategy by integrating biochemistry, molecular biology and cell biology techniques such as immunoblot, cell culture, immunolabeling and fluorescence microscopy. The results obtained will be analyzed using image analysis techniques and bioinformatics.

See full page

This compulsory S6 course explores the fundamental processes of embryonic development.

All the major stages of embryogenesis will be covered, such as establishment of axes, gastrulation, neurulation, organogenesis, as well as the basic concepts: induction, determination, differentiation, morphogenesis, etc...

The course will emphasize a molecular and cellular interpretation of developmental processes and the importance of an evolutionary approach to embryogenesis. 

The course will therefore systematically make links between its different disciplines, as well as with the material taught in the genetics courses.

The lectures will present the main principles focusing on the two best understood models of development in vertebrates (amphibians) and invertebrates (flies), including a historical aspect, while the tutorials will be devoted to the evolutionary aspect (comparison of different developmental modes and understanding the logic of evolutionary constraints), as well as to the experimental approaches of modern molecular and cellular developmental biology.

See full page

The molecular biology laboratory course aims to make students autonomous in the face of a molecular biology protocol and to introduce them to hypothesis-driven research. The students will have 6 days to answer a biological problem which will be proposed to them. They will thus be able to put into practice, under laboratory conditions, some of the techniques they have learned in their theoretical courses to better understand them.

See full page

In this course, students will learn experimental principles based on nucleic acid manipulation. The lectures will be articulated around two major axes:

1. Implementation of molecular tools (cloning, nucleic acid analysis, vectorology) ii. Their applications (expression of recombinant proteins, genomic banking, transgenesis, CRISPR/CAS9 system etc...) and reflection on the notion of ethics in biology.

TDs will consist of:

- Analysis of articles presenting problems to be solved with the knowledge acquired in the course. The chosen themes will, as much as possible, refer to the parallel UE of the L3. These articles will be presented by the students in the form of oral presentations by groups of 3 to 4 students to the whole class.

- Sessions reserved for the use of basic bioinformatics tools in the computer room.

See full page

This course is designed to complete the notions of cell biology seen in L2 in BCM2 and BCM3 through the study of physiological and pathological situations such as cancers.

These courses will introduce students to the importance of finding a study model (cell lines or organisms for in vivo study (Drosophila, C. elegans, Zebrafish) adapted to answer a question and highlight a molecular mechanism.

The lectures will allow the manipulation of advanced concepts of cell biology in connection with the knowledge of the most commonly used methodologies in cell biology such as flow cytometry, advanced techniques of fluorescence and electron microscopy, proteomics as well as the knowledge of experimental models such as cells in culture, genetically modified or not animal models (C. elegans, zebrafish, transgenic mice, KO, KI...)

See full page

From the same genome, the different cells constituting a multicellular organism will acquire diverse cell fates in order to acquire distinct cellular functions. In addition to the genome, epigenetic regulations governing the control of genome expression will be crucial in establishing phenotypes. The objective of this course is to convey the concepts and methodologies for studying the transmission of hereditary information via so-called epigenetic mechanisms.

See full page

The modalities of this UE are specifically adapted to the different courses of the L3. Nevertheless, the objectives are common: to give students an overview of the professional world related to research in life sciences.

The student will be offered a short internship in a laboratory/company or a tutored project with a tutor working in a laboratory or company associated with biology.

See full page

The objective of this course is to acquire knowledge of fundamental and applied virology, with an emphasis on an integrative vision of the discipline. It will present the specificities of host-virus interactions and the pathophysiology of viral infections in different types of hosts (vertebrates/insects/plants). It will address aspects of viral ecology, emergence and associated risks for human and animal health. Finally, the course will present the study methods used in research, virological detection and diagnosis tools, and the applications of viruses in biotechnologies.

The course will consist of lectures, tutorials (analysis of current scientific articles and oral presentations) and practical work illustrating the lectures and tutorials (virus amplification and purification and quantification using reference techniques).

See full page