Instructor:

Amr Amin, Ph.D.

Phone and email

971-3-7064389                                                                a.amin@uaeu.ac.ae

Office

Room # 6, Building # 21

Office Hours:
Online:

Sat 2-3, Sun 8-9, Tuesday 11-12. Room # 6/21
Normally, I respond to e-mails within three working days.

Description

This course provides descriptive information and mechanistic detail concerning key cellular processes in six main areas: signaling transduction, cell cycle, cell division, cell interactions, cancer and gene therapies. An attempt will be made to introduce the methodology that was used to obtain this information and to discuss how our understanding of these processes relates to the treatment of human disease.

Attendance

According to the UAEU Policy

Teaching Aids

Multimedia projection, Internet, Transparencies, Colored slides

Assignments

Homework assignments from the textbook and other sources such as the Internet will be given at appropriate times during the semester. These homework exercises contribute to a major part of the learning process.

Late Assignment Policy

Any assignment turned in after the due date will receive less points than an assignment turned in on time. Approximately 10% of the points of that assignment will be taken off each day the assignment is late.

Grading Policy

Exams will be given as scheduled in the attached syllabus. Grades are broken down to: 45% Semester Activities, 20% Mid‑Term Exam and 35% Final Exam.

Online
Submitting
Materials

Students are expected to use e-mail (among other avenues) to submit their reports and assignments as attachment.

Text Book

Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBC) (1994). By Albert, Bray, Lewis, Raft, Roberts and Watson. Garland Publisher.

Suggested Readings

1. James Darnell and Others. 1995. Molecular Cell Biology.

2. Becker and Others. 1996. The World of the Cell. Benjamin Cummings.

3. Garrett and Grisham. 1995. Molecular Aspects of Cell Biology. Saunders      College Publishing.

Session

Topic  Presented

Reading Assignment

Quiz or
Exam

Report & Homework

Group Assignment

Week 1

Signal Transduction

1. Role of the extracellular signals

2. Extracellular signal effecters

(a) Hormones

(b) Growth factors

(c) Cytokines

 15

Week 2

3. Extracellular signals are delivered by specific receptors

(a) Classes of receptors

(b) Purification and analysis of receptors

(c) Cloning of receptors

15

Homework1

Week 3

4. Second messengers

(a) cAMP

(b) Ca2+, Inositol phosphates, and diacylglycerol

5. Signal transduction pathways

 15

 Quiz 1

Week 4

How cells communicate:

I- Cell‑Cell Communications

 i. Cell Junctions

 ii. Cell‑ECM Interactions

II- Extracellular Matrix (ECM)

(a) Collagen fibrils

(b) Elastin

19 

Homework 2

Week 5

(c) Proteoglycans & hyaluronic acid

(d) Fibronectin

(e) Basal lamina

 19

Assignment 1

Week 6

Interactions:

1. Adhesion molecules

2. Cell adhesion

 19

Quiz 2 

Week 7

3.Cell migration

(a) Germ cells

(b) Muscle cells

(c) Neural crest

21 

Homework 3

Week 8

Cell diversity:

(a) Transplantation experiments

(b) Genetic control of determination in Drosophila (Homeotic genes)

21

 Quiz 3

Week 9

 (c) Cell determination in vertebrates

     - Positional information

     - Inductive interactions

Differentiation in liver

21

22 

Assignment 2

Week 10

Differentiation in epidermis

Differentiation of blood cells

22 

Mid-term

Week 11

Differentiation of muscle cells

Differentiation of skeletal connective tissue

22 

Homework 4

Week 12

Cell Growth and Cancer

A. Normal Cells

1. Cell cycle (gene control, checkpoint)

2. Cell division

3. Programmed cell death

17

Report due

Week 13

B. Cancer

1. Cell immortalization

2. Cell transformation

3. Genetic alterations in transformation

4. Retroviruses,

5. Oncogenes, and

6. Proto-oncogenes & tumor suppressor genes

24

Quiz 4 

Week 14

Tumor progression

(a) Migration

(b) Invasion

(c) Metastasis

 24

 Homework 5

Week 15

7. Therapies

(a) Radiotherapy

(b) Chemotherapy

(c) Immunotherapy

(d) Gene therapy

 Recent publications

Week 16

During this week, students will lead discussions on assigned topics.

Assigned

 Final

Assignment 3