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 concepts and nomenclature used for analyzing 3D protein structures are briefly reviewed (Ramachandran diagram, structural motifs and domains, folding, family, superfamily, etc.). These concepts are supplemented by a study of the stability and dynamics of biomolecules.

The structural classification of proteins is detailed according to the four main types of folding. Structure-function relationships are illustrated using examples of proteins. The specific characteristics 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, etc.) and the concepts of recognition specificity are detailed.

This teaching is illustrated in tutorials. These tutorials consist of familiarizing students with the main databases used in structural biology, as well as with the PyMol software for analyzing 3D structures.

See the full page

This course describes the methodology used by life science researchers 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 English.

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

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

See the full page

See the full page

Molecular biology is not only a fascinating subject in its own right, but it also provides other biological disciplines (cell biology, genetics, physiology, etc.) with fantastic tools for modifying and quantifying genes and their products.

The EU is deepening its understanding of the mechanisms involved in the organization, maintenance, replication, and expression (transcription, post-transcriptional modifications, translation) of eukaryotic genomes.

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

At the same time, the main techniques used to monitor or modify gene expression, or to study the mechanisms of this expression, will be presented in lectures and explored in greater depth in tutorials through the analysis of results.

Thus, the tutorials address these topics in the form of (1) exercises that allow students to test their understanding of the knowledge described above, and (2) experiments taken from scientific articles for analysis. In this way, the fundamentals of scientific reasoning and critical analysis of results will be acquired and/or further developed.

See the full page

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

See the full page

This course unit allows students to deepen their knowledge of metabolism. It provides a comprehensive overview of human metabolism, emphasizing the links between different metabolic pathways. It also shows how different tissues communicate to maintain overall energy homeostasis. Disruptions in this metabolism that cause certain diseases will be presented.

See the full page

This compulsory course for the "Molecular and Cellular Biology" program aims to deepen and supplement, mainly through tutorials and practicals, the fundamental molecular and cellular processes covered in the BCM2, BCM3, and Advanced Cellular and Molecular Biology courses by addressing them in greater depth. These classes will focus on the topics of intracellular trafficking, cell cycle, and apoptosis, continuing on from the BCM3 course.

Group work will be carried out in tutorials, during which students will be required to analyze a scientific article and produce a structured summary specifying the context of the study, the specific scientific question posed by the authors, the strategies implemented, and the techniques used to answer it. The aim of this work is to help prepare students for writing their TER reports and Master's internship reports.

The tutorials and practicals will be carried out in an integrated manner on the same topics as those covered in the lectures. The tutorials will be directly linked to the practicals. Students will be required to ask a question related to a cellular mechanism and, in accordance with the scientific approach, propose an experimental strategy to answer it. The practicals will enable students to apply this strategy by integrating techniques from biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology, such as immunoblotting, cell culture, immunolabeling, and fluorescence microscopy. The results obtained will be analyzed using image analysis techniques and bioinformatics.

See the full page

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

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

The course will focus on a molecular and cellular interpretation of developmental processes, as well as on the importance of an evolutionary approach to embryogenesis. 

The course will therefore systematically make connections between its various disciplines, as well as with the material taught in 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 perspective, while the tutorials will focus on evolutionary aspects (comparison of different modes of development and understanding the logic of evolutionary constraints), as well as experimental approaches to modern molecular and cellular developmental biology.

See the full page

The molecular biology practical aims to enable students to work independently with molecular biology protocols and introduce them to hypothesis-driven research. Students will have six days to respond to a biological problem that will be presented to them. This will allow them to put some of the techniques covered in their theoretical classes into practice in a laboratory setting, thereby gaining a better understanding of them.

See the full page

As part of this course, students will learn experimental principles based on the manipulation of nucleic acids. Lectures will focus on two main areas:

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

The tutorials will consist of:

- Analysis of articles presenting issues to be resolved using the knowledge acquired in the course. The topics chosen will, as far as possible, refer to parallel L3 teaching units. These articles will be presented by 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 lab.

See the full page

This course unit aims, in both lecture and tutorial formats, to supplement the concepts of cell biology covered in L2 in BCM2 and BCM3 through the study of physiological and pathological conditions such as cancer.

These courses will introduce students to the importance of finding a suitable model system (cell lines or organisms for in vivo studies (Drosophila, C. elegans, zebrafish)) for answering a question and demonstrating a molecular mechanism.

The tutorials will enable students to work with advanced concepts in cell biology in conjunction with knowledge of the most commonly used methodologies in cell biology, such as flow cytometry, advanced fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy techniques, proteomics, and knowledge of experimental models such as cultured cells, genetically modified and non-genetically modified animal models (C. elegans, zebrafish, transgenic mice, KO, KI, etc.). zebrafish, transgenic mice, KO, KI, etc.).

See the full page

From the same genome, the different cells that make up a multicellular organism will acquire different cellular destinies 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 teach the concepts and methodologies used to study the transmission of hereditary information via epigenetic mechanisms.

See the full page

The terms and conditions of this course unit are specifically tailored to the different L3 programs. However, the objectives are the same: to give students an overview of the professional world related to life sciences research.

Students will be offered a short internship in a laboratory/company or a supervised project with a tutor working in a laboratory or company associated with biology.

See the full page

The EU aims to acquire knowledge of fundamental and applied virology, with a focus on an integrative approach to 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 to human and animal health. Finally, the EU will present the research methods used, virological detection and diagnostic tools, and applications of viruses in biotechnology.

The EU will be taught in the form 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 the full page