question-list-for-medical-biology-oral-exam_2023

Cell and Molecular Biology Exam Questions

Medical Biology as a Science

  • Hallmarks in the history of biology and genetics.

Chemical Composition of the Cell

  • Chemical bonds in biomolecules.

Biopolymers

  • General structure

  • Lipids

  • Polysaccharides

Protein Structure and Functions

  • Structure of proteins.

  • Functions of proteins.

Cell Architecture

  • Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell structure.

  • Biomembranes: structure and function.

  • Membrane proteins and membrane transport.

Cellular Organelles

  • Overview, structure, and function of cellular organelles.

Cytoskeletal System

  • Overview

  • Intermediate filaments.

  • Microtubules and microfilaments.

DNA and Genetic Information

  • Experiments leading to the discovery of DNA as a genetic carrier.

  • Structure of nucleic acids.

  • Prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes: characteristics and differences.

  • Structure of human genome (histones, nucleosomes, chromatin).

  • Mitochondrial genome.

DNA Processes

  • DNA replication: comparison between prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

  • Types and causes of DNA damages.

  • Mechanisms of DNA repair (NER, BER, mismatch repair).

  • DNA double-strand breaks repair.

Chromosomal Concepts

  • Chromosomal instability and aneuploidy.

  • Central dogma of molecular biology: prokaryotic and eukaryotic gene.

RNA and Transcription

  • Types of RNA molecules.

  • General features of transcription, including:

    • Transcription in prokaryotes.

    • Transcription in eukaryotes.

    • Post-transcriptional modifications in eukaryotes.

Protein Translation and Modifications

  • General translation process.

  • Post-translational modifications.

  • Protein folding, degradation, and sorting.

Gene Expression Regulation

  • In prokaryotes: operon model, examples.

  • In eukaryotes: overview and regulation at various levels (transcriptional, post-transcriptional, chromatin).

Cell Signaling

  • General principles of cell signaling.

  • Types of receptors: intracellular, cell surface (including ion-channel-coupled and GPCRs).

Cell Cycle and Division

  • Cell cycle stages, checkpoints, and regulation.

  • Consequences of cell cycle deregulation.

  • Types of cell division: mitotic and meiotic.

Apoptosis

  • Basic types of cell death and significance.

  • Extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of apoptosis.

  • Regulation and errors of apoptosis.

Tissue Structure

  • Principle of tissue arrangement of cells.

  • Connective tissues and extracellular matrix.

Genetics

  • Mendel's laws: monohybridism and dihybridism.

  • Interactions of non-allelic genes.

  • Different inheritance patterns (autosomal recessive, dominant, gonosomal).

  • Chromosomal disorders and multifactorial inheritance.

Human Genome and Variability

  • Human genome project insights.

  • Architecture of the human genome: coding vs non-coding, repeats.

  • Epigenetics and genomic imprinting.

Immunology

  • Innate and adaptive immunity.

  • Components of the immune system; genetic disorders.

  • Immunoglobulins, T-cell, and B-cell receptors.

Development and Evolution

  • Basic stages of mammalian embryonic development.

  • Evolutionary mechanisms and genetic evolution.

Cancer Biology

  • Cancer classification systems and tumor biology.

  • Carcinogenesis and hereditary cancer syndromes.

Viral Biology and Molecular Techniques

  • Classification and structure of viruses.

  • Methods of molecular biology, including PCR and sequencing.

Gene Therapy and Editing

  • Gene therapy strategies and classification of viral vectors.

  • Gene-editing approaches like CRISPR/Cas9.

Stem Cell Research

  • Characteristics of stem cells and tissue engineering methods.