NEurochemistry and Carcinogenesis

 

BC 402: Neurochemistry and Carcinogenesis  

               

60 Hrs

Unit I

Neurotransmission

Membrane potentials, Resting potential – Depolarization, repolarization and hyperpolarization, Action potential.  Mechanism of axonal neurotransmission.

Membrane channels – Types of channels, ion gated, voltage gated, chemically gated, mechanically gated and responsive to intracellular messengers.

Neurotransmitters

Synthesis, storage, release, uptake, degradation and action of neurotransmitters. Acetyl choline, GABA, Serotonin, Dopamine, Glutamate, Aspartate,  Nitrous oxide, etc.  Neuropeptides. 

Synaptic transmission – Cholinergic receptors – Nicotinic and Muscarinic receptors, Agonists and Antagonists – their mode of action and effects. Adrenergic receptors, serpentine receptors and intracellular signaling.  Fast and slow receptors.

Exocytosis of neurotransmitter – Role of synapsins, synaptogamins, SNAP, SNARE and other proteins in docking, exocyotosis and recycling of vesicles.

 

15 Hrs

Unit II

Learning and Memory

Mechanism of short term memory and Long Term Potentiation.  NMDA and AMPA glutamate receptors.  Retrograde messengers in synaptic transmission. Role of CAM kinase II, Calcium, protein kinases, cAMP, NO, Calpain and other proteins in memory and learning process. Synaptic plasticity.

Diseases Of Nervous System

Molecular basis of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Schizophrenia, Myasthenia gravis and Multiple sclerosis.

 

15 Hrs

Unit III

Causes of Cancer

Mutations: Nonsense, missense and point mutations, intragenic and intergenic suppression, frameshift mutations, transitions, transversions, physical, chemical and biological mutagens. 

Genetic factors, Viruses, Chemical carcinogenesis, Physical stresses, Hormonal factors

 

15 Hrs

Unit IV

Molecular Basis of Cancer

Tumor cells and onset of Cancer, Characteristics of neoplastic and transformed cells, mechanism of metastasis, Angiogenesis, A multi-hit model of cancer induction, Gain and loss of function mutations, Accumulation of mutations and cancer, Oncogenes: RAS, SARC, ABL Tumor suppresors.

Cancer Therapy

Radiation, Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy

15 Hrs