Biology

- Students will know the composition and structure of the molecules that form living beings.
- Students will know cellular structure, embryonic development and organogenesis.
- Students will study the molecular basis of storage and expression of biological information.
- Students will know and handle basic laboratory equipment and techniques.

THEORETICAL CLASS PROGRAM (36 hours).
LECTURE 1. Introduction. Brief history of Cytology and Histology. The Cell Theory. Cytology and Histology: present situation and relation with other sciences (0.5 hours).
LECTURE 2.- Structural organization of living organisms. Cells and tissues (1 hour).

Nucleus, ribosomes and genetic mechanisms (6 hours).
LECTURE 3.- Structural organization of the nucleus.
LECTURE 4.- Chromatin and chromosomes.
LECTURE 5.- DNA replication and transcription.
LECTURE 6.- Ribosomes and protein synthesis.

Plasma membrane (3 hours).
LECTURE 7.- Composition and structure of the plasma membrane.
LECTURE 8.- Membrane transport I. Transport of small molecules and ions across the cell membrane.
LECTURE 9.- Membrane transport II. Endocytosis and exocytosis.

Endomembranes (4 hours).
LECTURE 10.- The endoplasmic reticulum.
LECTURE 11.- The Golgi apparatus.
LECTURE 12.- Lysosomes and vacuoles.

Energy conversion (3,5 hours).
LECTURE 13.- Mitochondria.
LECTURE 14.- Plastids.
LECTURE 15.- Peroxisomes.

Cytosol (0.5 hours).
LECTURE 16.- The cytosol. Cytoplasmic inclusions.

Cytoskeleton and cell movement (4 hours).
LECTURE 17.- The cytoskeleton. Microfilaments.
LECTURE 18.- Microtubules.
LECTURE 19.- Intermediate filaments.

Cell cycle and cell division (3.5 hours).
LECTURE 20.- The eukaryotic cell cycle.
LECTURE 21.- Cell division.
LECTURE 22.- Meiosis.

Determination, differentiation and cell death (3.5 hours).
LECTURE 23.- Cell determination, differentiation and aging.
LECTURE 24.- Cell death.

Cells in their social context (3.5 hours).
LECTURE 25.- Cell signalling.
LECTURE 26.- Cell junctions. Extracellular matrix.
LECTURE 27.- Cell walls of plants.

Variability of living beings (1 hour).
LECTURE 28.- Mutations. Hereditary patterns. Genetics of populations.

Immune system (2 hours).
LECTURE 29.- The immune system. Innate immune response.
LECTURE 30.- The immune system. Acquired immune response.

The immune system in the eye. Alterations of the immune system and their ocular manifestations.
LECTURE 31.- The immune system and the eye.
LECTURE 32.- Ocular manifestations in allergic processes.
LECTURE 33.- Ocular manifestations in autoimmune diseases.
LECTURE 34.- Ocular manifestations in immunodeficiencies.

Visual system in animals.
LECTURE 35.- Visual system and vision in animals.


PRACTICAL CLASS PROGRAM (6 hours).
Laboratory task 1.- Books on Internet. Websites related with Cell Biology. Light microscope operation. Observation of cell organelles: Golgi apparatus in ganglion neurons. Observation of an insect compound eye.
Laboratory task 2.- Observation of cell organelles: endoplasmic reticulum in spinal cord motor neurons. Cell organelle study in electron micrographs.
Laboratory task 3.- Processing of biological samples for observation by optical and electron microscope. Observation of trout eye sections, and mitosis in onion root tissue.


SEMINARS (8 hours).
The lecturer will provide or indicate where to locate the subjects for the realization of the seminars. The students must prepare the seminars proposed by the lecturer. In the seminars, the contents of the last 8 lectures of the program will be discussed and the students will have to answer questions and submit in writing (by hand) the activities proposed by the lecturer.


MANDATORY TUTORSHIP (1 hour).
In the tutorship, the course programming will be explained, recommendations for organizing and studying the subject will be given and any doubts that students may have in relation to it will be solved.

Basic bibliography
- Cooper, G. M. (2022). La Célula. 8ª ed. Editorial Marbán, Madrid. ISBN: 9788418068584. Available online in English (not all content) at: https://learninglink.oup.com/access/cooper8e

Complementary bibliography
- Alberts, B; Hopkin, K.; Johnson, A.; Morgan, D.; Raff, M.; Roberts, K.; Walter, P. (2021). Introducción a la Biología Celular. 5ª ed. Editorial Médica Panamericana. ISBN: 9786078546442. Available online in the library's Iacobus search engine: https://www.usc.gal/gl/servizos/area/biblioteca-universitaria
- Alberts, B.; Johnson, A.; Lewis, J.; Morgan, D.; Raff, M.; Roberts, K.; Walter, P. (2016). Biología Molecular de la Célula. 6ª edición. Editorial Omega. ISBN: 9788428216388.
- Iwasa, J.; Marshall, W. (2019). Karp Biología celular y molecular: conceptos y experimentos. 8ª ed. MacGraw-Hill Interamericana. ISBN: 9781456269227. Available online in the library's Iacobus search engine: https://www.usc.gal/gl/servizos/area/biblioteca-universitaria
- Lodish, H.; Berk, A.; Kaiser, C.A.; Krieger, M.; Bretscher, A.; Ploegh, H.; Amon, A.; Scott, M.P. (2016). Biología celular y molecular. 7ª ed. Editorial Médica Panamericana. ISBN: 9789500606264. Available online in the library's Iacobus search engine: https://www.usc.gal/gl/servizos/area/biblioteca-universitaria

Techniques
- Montuenga, L.; Esteban, F.J.; Calvo, A. (2014). Técnicas en Histología y Biología Celular. 2ª ed. Editorial Elsevier Masson. ISBN: 9788445825204. Available online in the library's Iacobus search engine: https://www.usc.gal/gl/servizos/area/biblioteca-universitaria
- Sepúlveda, J. (2014). Instructivo de laboratorio. Histología. Biología celular y tisular. 6º ed. McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 9786071511492. Accessible in the library's e-books: https://accessmedicina.mhmedical.com/book.aspx?bookID=1503
- Megías, M., Molist, P., Pombal, M.A. Técnicas histológicas. Atlas de histología vegetal y animal. Accessible in: https://mmegias.webs.uvigo.es/6-tecnicas/1-introduccion.php
- Megías, M., Molist, P., Pombal, M.A. Microscopio virtual. Atlas de histología vegetal y animal. Accessible in: https://mmegias.webs.uvigo.es/7-micro-virtual/virtual-todas.php

Basic skills
CB1 - Students must have acquired knowledge and understanding in a specific field of study, on the basis of general secondary education and at a level that includes mainly knowledge drawn from advanced textbooks, but also some cutting-edge knowledge in their field of study.
CB2 - Students must be able to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and have acquired the competences required for the preparation and defence of arguments and for problem solving in their field of study.
CB3 - Students must have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually in their field of study) to make judgments that include a reflection on relevant social, scientific or ethical issues.
CB4 - Students must be able to transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions to both expert and lay audiences.
CB5 - Students must have developed the learning skills needed to undertake further study with a high degree of autonomy.

General skills
CG1 - Students must have the capacity to approach their professional and formative activity from the respect to the deontological code of their profession, which includes, among others, the principles of respect and the promotion of people’s fundamental rights, the equality between the people, the principles of universal accessibility for all and democratic values and a culture of peace.

Specific skills
CE5 - Students must issue opinions, reports and expert opinions when necessary.
CE9 - Students must expand and update their capacities for professional practice through continuous training.
CE11 - Students must know how to situate the new information and the interpretation of it in its context.
CE13 - Students must demonstrate and implement methods of critical analysis, development of theories and their application to the disciplinary field of Optometry.

Transversal skills
Students should be able to:
CT1 - acquire the capacity for analysis and synthesis.
CT2 - acquire capacity for organization and planning.
CT5 - acquire computer knowledge related to the field of study.
CT6 - acquire information management capacity.
CT7 - acquire the ability to solve problems.
CT9 - know how to work as a team.
CT10 - know how to work in an interdisciplinary team.
CT14 - acquire abilities for the emission of a critical reasoning.
CT15 - maintain an ethical commitment.

- Lectures with discussion.
- Mandatory seminars carried out by the students.
- Mandatory laboratory tasks.
- Mandatory tutorship (one session of 1 hour).

- Students must pass an exam of contents explained in lectures that represent 60% of the final grade. If the schedule permits it, there will be a midterm exam that if it is passed, eliminates contents of the official tests established in each academic year. The grade will be an average of the exams passed. Passing grade is 5 out of 10.
Once the exam is passed, the qualifications obtained in the seminar, tasks and attendance-participation will be added.
Assessed skills: CB1, CB5, CG1, CE5, CE9, CE11, CT1, CT2, CT14, CT15.
- Mandatory seminars will represent 20% of the final grade. Failure to attend seminars will also considered. In the seminars, the contents of the last 8 lectures of the program will be discussed and the students will have to answer questions and submit in writing (by hand) the activities proposed by the lecturer. In each seminar, students must obtain a minimum of 35% in the grade. If the seminars are not done, the subject can not be passed.
Repeating students will not take the seminars if they already took them in previous years (the grade obtained is kept). Although repeating students will repeat the seminars if they consider it and can repeat the seminar exams if they want to increase or decrease their grade.
Assessed skills: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5, CG1, CE5, CE9, CE11, CE13, CT1, CT2, CT6, CT7, CT14, CT15
- Mandatory laboratory tasks that will represent 12% of the final grade. Attendance in tasks allows you to pass them. Task exam will be taken. If the tasks are not done, the subject can not be passed.
Repeating students will not complete the lab tasks if they already completed them in previous years (the grade obtained is kept). Although repeating students will repeat the lab tasks if they consider it and can repeat the task exam if they want to increase or decrease their grade.
Assessed skills: CB2, CB3, CB5, CG1, CE5, CE11, CE13, CT2, CT5, CT6, CT7, CT14, CT15.
- Mandatory tutorship, class attendance and participation in Virtual Campus activities. Value: 8% of the final grade. More attendance and participation means a higher grade. Failure to attend the required tutorship will be considered in the final grade.
Assessed skills: CB2, CB4, CB5, CG1, CE5, CE9, CE11, CE13, CT2, CT5, CT6, CT7, CT14, CT15.

- Theory: 36 h classwork plus 70 h of individual work.
- Tutorship and preparation of seminar: 9 h classwork plus 23 h of individual work.
- Laboratory tasks: 6 h classwork plus 2 h of individual work.
- Exams: 4 h.
- Total hours of classwork: 55 h.
- Total hours of individual work: 95 h.

- Class attendance and active participation in class work.
- It is advisible to study and revise every day the information provided in lectures, seminars and tasks, using the textbooks suggested by the lecturer.
- Study and weekly revision of information received during the entire week.
- Clarifying doubts with lecturers.
- For the final exam review all the information received during theoretical sessions.

This subject will have a virtual classroom on the Moodle platform available to students.

In cases of fraudulent completion of exercises or tests, the "Regulations for the evaluation of the academic performance of students and the review of grades" will be applied.