ECTS
15 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
List of courses
Choice of 3 out of 3
Statistics applied to biology
5 creditsStructural Biology
5 creditsCellular communications and signalling
5 credits
Statistics applied to biology
ECTS
5 credits
Component
Faculty of Medicine
Cellular communications and signalling
ECTS
5 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
The main communication pathways between normal cells and the intracellular transduction pathways encountered in physiological and neurophysiological mechanisms will be covered, with a focus on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their structure, function and modulation by interacting proteins, notably involved in desensitization. The main intracellular pathways activated by GPCRs will be discussed (MAPkinase, PI3kinase, etc.).
A major part of the course will then focus on calcium signaling and Ca2+ homeostasis, Ca2+ being a ubiquitous signal in cell signaling. Calcium homeostasis will be studied in particular during the lymphocyte response to antigenic stimulation. In addition, the production of oxygenated free radicals, at the origin of oxidative stress, is dependent on intracellular Ca2+. The physiological role of free radicals will be discussed, as well as their involvement in oxidative stress. The following chapter will focus on the endocannabinoid system, summarizing all the topics covered earlier in the course. The endocannabinoid system is at the origin of multiple central and peripheral regulations.
Finally, two other themes will be addressed: the blood-brain barrier, which evokes highly integrated cellular communication between two environments, and the -pancreatic cell, whose activity is crucial to the regulation of glycemia through insulin secretion.