3 ECTS credits
78 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1021630BNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester
1st semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Enrollment Requirements
Students must have followed ‘General Zoology’, before they can enroll for ‘Biology of Eukaryotic Cells and Systems’.
Taught in
English
Faculty
Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences
Department
Bio-Engineering Sciences
Educational team
Jo Van Ginderachter (course titular)
Kiavash Movahedi
Jos Ruytinx
Activities and contact hours
26 contact hours Lecture
Course Content

The course is split into two parts with an equal weight of 13 h HOC.

One part will be devoted to key cell biological elements in fungi as eukaryotic model organisms. In this section, the following topics will be discussed:

  1. Fungal functional and taxonomic diversity, ecology and evolution
  2. Hyphal biology and growth on solid substrates
  3. Cell compartments, cycle and polarity
  4. Structure and synthesis of fungal cell walls
  5. Compatibility
  6. Cell and tissue differentiation

The individual topics will be discussed at the molecular level. The course will use primary literature of key publications to illustrate novel scientific findings.

 

The second part of the course will provide a more detailed insight in the structure and working mechanisms of more complex systems, such as tissues and organs, in higher eukaryotes. Sections included are:
 

  1. A brief overview of the structure and functions of the most important organelles in a cell: the nucleus, the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, the lysosome and the mitochondrion. Also the composition and most important characteristics of the plasma membrane are discussed.
  2. From Cell to Tissue: cells interacting with their environment. This chapter encompasses: (i) mechanisms via which cells regulate their charge (ionic composition of intra- and extracellular fluid, membrane potential of a cell), (ii) mechanisms via which cells regulate their water household (maintenance of the cellular volume, body fluid compartments, maintenance of total body water volume), (iii) mechanisms via which cells regulate their acidity (cellular acid handling, volatile and non-volatile acids)
  3. From Cell to Tissue: cells interacting with other cells and the matrix. This chapter encompasses: (i) tissue types and epithelial types, (ii) mechanical strength: cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix, (iii) cell -cell junctions, (iv) cell-matrix junctions, (v) cells of the connective tissue: fibroblasts, (vi) connective tissue remodelling and adaptation to hypoxia
  4. Structure and functions of the human brain (central nervous system). This chapter encompasses: (i) the prototypical neuron (soma, axon, dendrite) and neuron classification, (ii) the importance of regulating the charge household for neuronal function, principles of action potential and action potential propagation, (iii) principles of synaptic transmission, (iv) the role of brain macrophages and their ontogeny
  5. Structure and functions of the human liver. This chapter encompasses: (i) the hepatic lobule and liver zonation, (ii) Kupffer cells and their niche

 

Course material
Digital course material (Required) : The Powerpoint slides for this course will be available, Canvas
Additional info

The Powerpoint slides for this course will be available via the Canvas platform. References to handbooks for voluntary additional reading are provided, but handbooks are not obligatory.

 [RJ1]

Learning Outcomes

General competences

  1. The students have insight in the hyphal mode of growth. They are able to explain how hyphae emerge during spore germination and how they contribute to colony formation. They understand the meaning of duplication cycles in molds and are able to illustrate how this depends on regulation of nuclear migration and how it contributes to hyphal growth kinetics.
  2. The students know to define the essentials of eukaryotic cell structure and cycle. They are able to describe the cellular processes taking place in the hyphal tip, emphasizing the detailed role of the nucleus, plasma membrane, endomembrane systems, cytoskeleton systems and molecular motors.
  3. Students are able to illustrate and explain how cell polarity establishes in yeasts (Saccharomyces and Schizosaccharomyces) and how cell biology contributes to mycelial growth.
  4. The students have profound knowledge on the molecular mechanisms underlying and regulating yeast-mycelial dimorphism.
  5. The students are able to describe the fungal cell wall and its components as a sophisticated cell organelle and illustrate its importance and functions in fungal life style. They are aware of the dynamic nature of fungal cell walls and can explain the molecular processes involved in cell wall synthesis and remodeling.
  6. The students are able to define compatibility. They can describe the molecular mechanisms underlying vegetative compatibility and incompatibility systems.
  7. The students can explain the concept parasexual cycle.
  8. The students have insight in the processes leading to mycelial differentiation and the different ways that fungi use to make spores. They know to describe molecular regulation of sporulation and compare this process among species.
  9. The students are able to enumerate and explain the general mechanisms leading to the construction of fungal ‘tissues and organs’ including linear (e.g. rhizomorphs, stipes) and globose (e.g. stromata, basidiomata) structures. The students have the competence, based on the insight gained from fungal cells, to analyze similar processes in higher eukaryotes and humans.
  10. The students have acquired knowledge of the most important organelles in higher eukaryotic cells
  11. The students understand and can interpret the basic principles of cellular physiology (interaction of cells with their environment), including the regulation of charge, water household and acidity. The students are able to explain these principles at the cellular as well as the organismal level.
  12. The students have a profound knowledge of how cells interact with other cells and with the extracellular matrix. The students know and understand the working mechanism and composition of junctions and the main components of connective tissue.
  13. The students can apply the knowledge on cellular physiology in the context of brain neuronal functioning and synaptic transmission
  14. The students have acquired knowledge and a deeper insight in the working mechanisms of complex organs, such as the brain and the liver.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Other Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Other exam with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The exam will consist of a written preparation followed directly by an oral exam (100% of exam score), organised separately (but on the same day, ideally in consecutive and equally long time slots and ideally in neighbouring rooms) for the first part (fungi as eukaryotic model system, Ruytinx) and the second part (tissues and organs in higher eukaryotes, Van Ginderachter/Movahedi). The final mark will be the average of the marks on the two parts, so each part contributes to 50% of the final mark.

Partial marks on a part, if the student obtains at least half of the score for this part, are transferred to the second session. Students may not relinquish partial marks.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Bioengineering Sciences: Profile Cell and Gene Biotechnology (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Bioengineering Sciences: Profile Chemistry and Bioprocess Technology (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Bioengineering Sciences: Initial track (only offered in Dutch)