20452 Cell Structure and Function (single-semester format) 1
Credits: 6 intermediate credits in Life Sciences
Prerequisites: General Biology I, General Chemistry2 (or General Chemistry I + General Chemistry II, for Biology Students; or General Chemistry I + General Chemistry II), and Biochemistry I
Required: Advanced Computer Applications
Recommended: Biochemistry II
Authors: Joel Klemes, Avinoam Adam, Idit Levin, Bracha Kimchi, Dror Bar-Nir, Revital Lavi. Part of the material is based on a translation and adaptation of Channels, Carriers and Pumps: An Introduction to Membrane Transport, by W.D. Stein (Academic Press, 1990) and chapters 10 and 17 of The World of the Cell, by W.M. Becker, L.J. Kleinsmith and J. Hardin (Benjamin Cummings, 2003), and chapter 17 of Essential Cell Biology (2nd ed.), by B. Alberts, A. Johnson, J. Lewis, M. Raff, D. Bray, K. Hopkin, K. Roberts and P. Walter (Garland Science, 2004) The materials also include a collection of articles (in Hebrew and English) which is frequently updated.
Cells are the basic units of life and acquaintance with cell structure and function is vital to understanding all life processes in single-cell and multi-cellular organisms. The course provides students with basic knowledge of cell biology and introduces them to ways in which researchers attempt to decipher the secrets of life on the level of the individual cell.
The course includes mandatory laboratory sessions. This is a single-semester course but it is also offered in a year-long format as Cell Structure and Function (20214).
Topics: Cell membranes; Introduction to bioenergetics; Transport of substances across the membrane; ATP production; Protein synthesis; Protein synthesis – regulation and control mechanisms; Intercellular signaling; The cell cycle; Cytoskeleton.
1There is some overlap in the content of this and other courses. For details, see Overlapping Courses.
2or General Chemistry (20477 or 20487), which is no longer offered.