1. An Introduction to the Cell

• Be able to recognise the different organelles within a eukaryotic human cell and know their function.

2. Introduction to DNA

• Be able to understand the packaging and structure of DNA
• Be able to describe DNA replication

3. Structure of Proteins

• Be able to understand the structure of an amino acid and the different states an amino acid can exist in
• Be able to describe formation of a polypeptide
• Be able to describe the various structures of a polypeptide
• Be able to understand how the structure of the protein can affect its function
• Be able to describe how misfolding of a protein can affect its role within the human body

4. Protein Function in Oxygen Transport

• Be able to understand the structure and function of myoglobin
• Be able to understand the structure and function of haemoglobin
• Be able to draw comparisons between the haem proteins myoglobin and haemoglobin
• Be able to describe and explain how haemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen can be changed by molecules or changes in the surroundings  
• Be able to explain how foetal haemoglobin differs from adult haemoglobin and why this is important in the development of a foetus
• Be able to understand how a mutation in the globin chain genes for haemoglobin can lead to diseases such as thalassaemia and sickle cell anaemia

5. Enzymes and Regulation of Protein Function

• Be able to understand the important role enzymes play in reactions.
• Be able to understand the features of enzymes that allow them to carry out their function.
• Be able to describe the kinetics of enzymes.
• Be able to understand how different inhibitors affect the kinetics of enzymes and how these inhibitors affect the distribution of the kinetics on graphs.
• Be able to understand how enzymes and other proteins are regulated in various ways in the short term and long term.
• Be able to understand how the blood clotting cascade is an example of regulating proteins.

6. Molecular Techniques for Medics

• Be aware of and have a basic understanding of the molecular techniques used in labs to create diagnoses and analyse genomes, using patient samples.
  

7. Post-Translational Modification and Collagen Biosynthesis

• Be able to describe the most common types of post-translational modification including phosphorylation and glycosylation
• Be able to understand how the most common types of post-translational modification affect the activity of proteins
• Be able to describe how insulin is an example of proteolytic cleavage
• Be able to describe the two types of secretory pathways
• Be able to understand the structure of collagen
• Be able to describe the synthesis of collagen
• Be able to describe the various post-translational modifications that occur in collagen synthesis
• Be able understand how deficiencies in certain molecules can lead to abnormalities in the structure of collagen

8. Protein Targeting

• To be able to understand the differences in where proteins are produced within the cell depending on their overall function
• To be able to understand the common processes for targeting proteins to the various organelles with a cell

9. Biological Membranes

• Describe the structure of a cellular membrane and relate this to its function, with particular reference to the erythrocyte membrane.

• Understand the structure of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their role in signal transduction, with reference to some tissue-specific examples.

• Describe the mechanisms by which substances can cross cell membranes, with particular reference to calcium ions.

12. Membrane Potentials

• To understand what is meant by the cell’s membrane potential
• To be able to explain how the membrane potential is generated and how it can be changed

13. Action Potentials

• To understand how an action potential is generated and propagated in neurones
• To be able to explain how neurones communicate with skeletal muscle cells at the neuromuscular junction

14. Autonomic Nervous System Introduction

• To understand the organisation of the autonomic nervous system
• To understand the actions of the autonomic nervous system at a physiological and molecular level