Description and contextualization of the subject

The course aims to present the current state of knowledge about biological membranes in an accessible and balanced way, paying more attention to the most current aspects and taking advantage of the existence at the UPV/EHU of notable experts in the area, especially in membrane biophysics.



All the cells, prokaryotic and eukaryotic, and quite a few viruses, are surrounded by a membrane that delimits them. This membrane always has the same basic structure: a double layer of phospholipids and a series of proteins attached to the lipids. The thickness of the membrane is about 50 nanometres (50 millionths of a millimetre), so these biological objects enter the nanoscience domain. The functions of the membranes are multiple, not only do they serve as a selective barrier for the entry of nutrients and the elimination of toxins, they are also the seat of receptors for hormones and other metabolic control signals, they maintain the mechanisms for controlling cell growth, they prevent infection or invasion by other cells, and, paradoxically, they are also the route that some viruses (influenza, AIDS) take for their entry.



This subject combines three types of lessons with two complementary approaches. There are lessons (or rather working sessions) dedicated to the general review of the field, others more specific in which specific aspects of special relevance are dealt with, and finally others of a methodological nature. Crosswise, the basic biology approach is combined with the biomedical approach.



The course is presented in the context of "Cellular-Molecular Biology". This means that the traditional division between cell biology and molecular biology is transcended to integrate these two disciplines. The methodology of molecular biology allows in many cases to overcome barriers that seemed insurmountable for cell biology, and this is particularly true in the field of biomembranes. It is no less true, on the other hand, that cell biology poses problems and offers integration mechanisms that traditionally escaped the purely molecular level.

Ordinary call: orientations and renunciation

The evaluation of the course will be based on the following aspects:

1. Attendance and participation in class 50% of the final grade. 80% class attendance is required.

2. Scientific report 50% of the final grade.





This method of assessment could be changed if the guidelines of the health authorities so provide. The appropriate modifications would be announced in due course, with the necessary strategies and tools to guarantee the right of the student to be evaluated with equity and fairness.

Extraordinary call: orientations and renunciation

Written proof of the entire course program.





This method of assessment could be changed if the guidelines of the health authorities so provide. The appropriate modifications would be announced in due course, with the necessary strategies and tools to guarantee the right of the student to be evaluated with equity and fairness.

Temary

1.INTRODUCTION: RECENT ADVANCES IN MEMBRANE STUDIES.

2.THE ORIGIN OF CELL MEMBRANES

3.BIOGENESIS OF CELL MEMBRANES

4.EXOSOMES IN METABOLISM AND PRECISION MEDICINE

5.DEALING WITH MEMBRANE PROTEINS: THEIR PURIFICATION AND RECONSTITUTION.

6.DETERGENTS: WASHING THE DISHES AND BEYOND

7.CRYO-ELECTRON MICROSCOPY: EXAMINING INTACT BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES.

8.INTERORGANELLE MEMBRANE CONTACT SITES

9.LIPOSOMES AND OTHER MEMBRANE MODELS

10.MEMBRANE-BASED SYSTEMS FOR DRUG AND GENE DELIVERY

11.FLUORESCENCE IMAGING: EXPLORING THE FRONTIERS OF A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING

TECHNIQUE.

12.SUB-CELLULAR ARCHITECTURE STUDIED BY CORRELATIVE LIGHT AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPY.

13.LIPIDOMIC STUDIES OF CELL MEMBRANES.

14.CELL INFECTION BY HIV: STUDYING LIPID ROLES IN HIV LIFE CYCLE

15.STRENGTHENING PROTEIN-MEMBRANE INTERACTIONS: A NOVEL STRATEGY TO

ENHANCE THE POTENCY OF ANTI-HIV ANTIBODIES.

16.MEMBRANE BIOMECHANICS

17.MECHANOADAPTATION AND CAVEOLAE BIOLOGY

18.CELL AUTOPHAGY: MOLECULAR BASIS FOR THE AUTOPHAGOSOME GENERATION

19.THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF APOPTOSIS.

20. MEMBRANE FISSION AND CURVATURE-SENSING PROTEINS

21.ENDOSOMAL TRAFFIC AT ATOMIC RESOLUTION

22.OPTOGENETIC CONTROL OF MEMBRANE FLUIDITY AND SECRETION

23.MEMBRANE STUDIES APPLIED TO CANCER THERAPEUTICS

Bibliography

Compulsory materials

For each session included in the programme, teachers will provide the student with additional teaching materials (i.e. PowerPoint presentations and other specialised references such as reviews or research articles) using the Egela digital platform.

Basic bibliography

The Biophysics of Cell Membranes. Biological Consequences. Editors: Epand, Richard M., Ruysschaert, Jean-Marie (Eds.) Springer, New York. (2017) ISBN 978-981-10-6244-5

The Structure of Biological Membranes (3rd ed.) Philip Y. Yeagle. CRC Press, Boca Raton FL, (2011). ISBN: 9781439809570

Cell Membranes . Lukas Buehler. Garland Science, New York. (2015) ISBN: 978-0815341963.

Membrane Structural Biology with Biochemical and Biophysical Foundations (2nd ed.). Mary Luckey. Garland Science, New York. (2022). ISBN:978-0393884852 .

Molecular Biology of the Cell (7th ed.) Bruce Alberts, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, David Morgan, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts, Peter Walter (eds.) . Garland Science, New York. (2014). ISBN: 9780815344322

Membrane Protein Crystallization and Purification (2nd ed.). Carola Hunte, Gebhard von Jagow and Hermann Schagger (eds). Academic Press, Amsterdam. (2003). ISBN: 0-12-361776-6