Cell Communication and Intracellular Signaling

The course will give an odyssey of major signalling events in the vertebrate cell across cellular space and time— starting at the cell surface and ending up in the nucleus— and from the developmental period of an organism to individual cell death. The course aims at giving the student an overview of cellular interactions with the cellular microenvironment and the signalling events resulting from these interactions. Moreover, it will be discussed how cells respond to physiological cues such as hormones and neuronal signals. The therapeutic implications of all these signalling events will be briefly discussed in a separate lecture.

The course will be in the form of lectures, given by researchers active in the field they are teaching. To follow up and consolidate the material taught, each lecture will be accompanied by a review article that students will read and discuss in connection to the lecture.

Key words from the course: Principles, Molecular Switches, Signalling Currencies, Developmental Signalling, Immune Signalling, Cadherins and Integrins, Proteoglycans, Neuronal Signalling, Receptor Kinases, Mitochondrial Communication, Death Signalling, Therapeutic Implications.

After completion of the course the student will be able to:

Knowledge

• Recognize and discuss the main types of cell communication, including the signal molecules (ligands/transmitters) integral to these main types, and understand the importance of cell signaling in biology and to be able apply this knowledge in future laboratory work.
• Know and be able to discuss the major groups of intracellular-and membrane-bound receptors, be able to give examples of such receptors.
• Understand and discuss central cellular signal pathways in eukaryotic cells.

Skills

• Demonstrate the connection between cellular signal pathways and medical phenomena, using examples.

Competences

• Read and discuss advanced scientific articles, which assumes knowledge about cell signaling events, and recapitulate and explain its content to an audience.

Spring

Please note that the course will start early in january. Remember til register early for attendance and examination.

Master’s students from other programmes and faculties are welcome to apply for admission. To express your interest and motivation, please send an email to: med-ibm-studiesaker@uib.no.