Pharmacology 1: Biochemical signalling

This unit lays a foundation of knowledge about how biomolecules such as proteins, nucleotides and lipids are involved in relaying extracellular signals to the inside of the cell. An understanding of how biomolecules respond to ligands (endogenous and exogenous) to activate specific cellular responses and how these responses are linked to physiological functions, human health and drug action. The gastrointestinal system will be used as an exemplar system to investigate receptor families, signal transduction and the consequences of different types of signalling pathways within the cell.

You will continue to build on the link between a strong foundational knowledge of the physiological basis of disease (pathophysiology), and the causal connections between cell biochemistry, body function at the tissue, organ and system level and human health; how aberrant signalling may be modified through identification of appropriate protein, lipid or DNA targets (drug discovery: target identification and validation).

You will practice fundamental laboratory techniques and experimental approaches to solving biological, biochemical and physiological research questions, and how to record, interpret and communicate the outcomes of such investigations to a variety of audiences.

Topics to be covered include:

• protein synthesis, modification, trafficking and expression in the cell (and regulatory mechanisms);
• proteins as receptors, and receptor families, including: ligand-gated ion channels, G-protein coupled receptors, tyrosine kinase receptors;
• signal transduction mechanisms;
• DNA as a target;