This course is designed to offer students exposure to state-of-the-art knowledge in aspects of cellular biochemistry and cell biology as they relate to cell compartmentalisation.

There are normally 3 hours of teaching on Fridays.

None

The course will be assessed by a 2-hour examination (75%) and in-course assessment consisting of a prescribed review of a research paper (25%). 

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

This course aims to explore cellular compartmentalisation, with an emphasis on new advances in several key areas, notably around protein synthesis (e.g. the structure of the ribosome, protein insertion into the ER, etc), protein sorting, the integration of signalling and trafficking, the use of model organisms to probe complex cellular systems, and integrating material from 'omic' technologies. 

By the end of this course, students will be able to: 

■ With reference to examples introduced within the course, explain how different forms of cellular compartmentalisation are achieved and explain why compartmentalisation is important to the specific biochemical functions associated with different cellular compartments.

■ Appraise and interpret experimental results and data from relevant primary literature.

■ Critically evaluate the hypotheses tested and conclusions made within relevant primary literature and use this to enhance your understanding of the subject.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.