BIOL2501: CELL SIGNALLING

• Level 1 Genetics (BIOL1171) and Molecules and Cells (BIOL1281)

• At least one other Level 2 Biological Sciences module.

• None

• To study the different mechanisms by which cells respond to external stimuli.
• To study the steps of signal transduction mechanisms, from arrival of signal at the cell membrane to changes in gene expression, in detail.
• To study comparative aspects of signalling processes in organisms from different kingdoms.

• Abiotic signals and their perception.
• Biotic signals and their perception.
• Signal transduction pathways.
• Protein phosphorylation.
• Calcium signalling.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Knowledge of receptor systems for abiotic stress signals in plants and animals.
• Knowledge of hormones in plants and animals, and the mechanisms of biotic signalling from a comparative viewpoint.
• Knowledge of the pathways which link signal perception to gene expression.
• Knowledge of how responses to biotic and abiotic signals are modulated by the nature of the perceiving cell, and how cells communicate with each other.
• Knowledge of cell signalling can have practical benefits for medicine, food security, and treatment of disease.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Ability to understand the use of techniques in molecular biology and cell biology to study the mechanisms of signal perception and transduction.
• Ability to use data-handling skills to address problems in cell signalling

Key Skills:

• Numeracy, in data analysis, and calculations involved in data handling problems.
• Communication skills, using the written word and graphics, involved in evolution practical reports.
• Team work.
• Self-motivation, in self-guided learning.

• Lectures deliver subject-specific knowledge.
• Workshops reinforce subject-specific knowledge and understanding gained from lectures and the development of key and subject-specific skills.
• Practical Exercises allow students to utilise subject-specific knowledge gained from lectures, and support the development of key and subject-specific skills.
• Tutorials give enhancement of the student learning experience, supporting attainment of all learning outcomes.
• Self-guided learning contributes to subject-specific knowledge and self-motivation.
• Practical Exercises are based on subject-specific knowledge and demonstrate subject-specific skills in understanding experimental work and data analysis.
• Problem Exercises (Data Handling) demonstrate subject-specific skills in data handling and key skills in numeracy.

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