20343 Intracellular Protein Transport

Credits: 3 advanced seminar credits in Life Sciences

Prerequisites: 36 credits in the Sciences, including Biochemistry I and Cell Structure and Function (single-semester format or year-long format). Students must also fulfill all English requirements and take bibliographic instruction in the Library.

The course is based on a reader edited by Amos Frisch.

The eukaryotic cell is composed of many cell organelles with various structures and functions. These cell organelles, like the cell itself, are enclosed in membranes. The structure and chemical composition of the different membranes are unique to the organelle and to the kinds of activities it performs.

The course focuses on the following questions: Where does the synthesis of proteins and glycoproteins, which build the organelles and their membranes, take place?; How do the proteins and glycoproteins reach their destination after they are synthesized and how do they join the appropriate structure?; How does protein transport between the organelles and the various membranes in the cell take place?; What is the mechanism by which proteins exit (secretion) and enter (endocytosis) the cell?

The course discusses the various theories that address these questions, as well as the research methods used to verify them. Students are required to write a seminar paper on one of the course topics and present it to the students and tutors.