C3900 Molecular mechanisms of cell ageing

Faculty of Science
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 2 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Petra Procházková Schrumpfová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Eva Dvořák Tomaštíková, Ph.D. (lecturer), doc. Mgr. Petra Procházková Schrumpfová, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Petra Procházková Schrumpfová, Ph.D.
National Centre for Biomolecular Research – Faculty of Science
Supplier department: National Centre for Biomolecular Research – Faculty of Science
Prerequisites
Students should have elementary knowledge of molecular or cellular biology.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 40 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
This course is focused on the hallmarks of aging in different organisms, with special emphasis on the molecular and cellular bases such as: deficiencies in DNA repair mechanisms in aged cells, mitochondrial dysfunction, telomere shortening, cellular senescence, alterations in epigenetic marks, loss of proteostasis, microbiome alterations, beneficial effects of dietary restriction in longevity etc. At the end we will discuss anti-aging medicine.
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to explain hallmarks of aging especially in human cells and also understand molecular mechanism of aging in various model organisms. Each chapter starts with a short overview of the discussed issue (e.g. repair mechanisms of DNA lesions, mitochondial or telomere functions, what is epigenetics and DNA / histone epigenetic modifications) followed by a closer description of the interconnection between the discussed topic and cellular aging. At the end students will be able to understand the mutual interconnection of discussed chapters.
Syllabus
  • aging in human population • aging in different organisms • aging and cancer • theories of aging • stochastic nature of the aging process • programmed theories of aging • damage-based theories of aging • progeroid syndromes • protein oxidation in aging • nuclear architecture in aging • telomere attrition • mitochondrial dysfunction • cellular senescence • epigenetic alterations v loss of proteostasis v caloric restriction • stem cell exhaustion • altered intercellular communication • the influence of the microbiome to aging • anti-aging medicine
Literature
    recommended literature
  • The hallmarks of aging. López-Otín C, Blasco MA, Partridge L, Serrano M, Kroemer G., The Hallmarks of Aging, Cell. 2013 June 6; 153(6): 1194–1217. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2013.05.039.
  • Susmita Kaushik & Ana Maria Cuervo, Proteostasis and aging,Nature Medicine 21, 1406–1415 (2015) doi:10.1038/nm.4001
  • Jan M. van Deursen, The role of senescent cells in ageing, Nature 509, 439–446, 2014, doi:10.1038/nature13193
  • L Bosch-Presegué and A Vaquero, Sirtuins in stress response: guardians of the genome,, Oncogene (2014) 33, 3764–3775; doi:10.1038/onc.2013.344
  • PROCHÁZKOVÁ SCHRUMPFOVÁ, Petra, Šárka SCHOŘOVÁ and Jiří FAJKUS. Telomere- and Telomerase-Associated Proteins and Their Functions in the Plant Cell. Frontiers in Plant Science. Lausanne: Frontiers Media SA, 2016, vol. 7, June, p. nestránkováno, 19 pp. ISSN 1664-462X. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.00851. URL info
  • Roberto Zoncu, David M. Sabatini, and Alejo Efeyan, mTOR: from growth signal integration to cancer, diabetes and ageing, Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2011 Jan;12(1):21-35. doi: 10.1038/nrm3025
  • Luigi Fontana and Linda Partridge, Promoting Health and Longevity through Diet: from Model Organisms to Humans, Cell. 2015 Mar 26; 161(1): 106–118. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.02.020
Teaching methods
lectures, class discussion, presentations by professionals in the aging field; in case of interest - the subject can be taught in English.
Assessment methods
for passing the colloquium the written test on 5-issues is needed, for passing the examination the written test is needed, the test consists of 20 questions, 50% of correct answers is needed to pass
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
Teacher's information
The teaching materials are available in English. If you need any additional information concerning the English guided lectures please contact the teacher.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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