2020 Faculty Courses School of Life Science and Technology Undergraduate major in Life Science and Technology
Animal Physiology
- Academic unit or major
- Undergraduate major in Life Science and Technology
- Instructor(s)
- Nobuhiro Nakamura / Atsushi Kawakami / Nobuaki Shiraki
- Class Format
- Lecture (Zoom)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 7-8 Mon (H101) / 7-8 Thu (H101)
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- LST.A344
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2020
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 10, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Animal physiology is the fundamental study that helps us better understand human health and disease.
This course facilitates students’ understanding of the history of development of life science and the significance of life science in modern science. The aim of this course is for students to understand the basic concepts and mechanisms of how multicellular animals maintain homeostasis. This course also aims for students to understand molecular mechanisms of 1) the endocrine system that detects and responses to changes in internal environment of the body and 2) the immune system that recognizes and eliminates foreign substances and organisms, such as pathogens.
Course description and aims
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) Understand the history, the significance of modern life science, and the key concepts underlying life science.
2) Understand the mechanism and principle of tissue homeostasis and organ regeneration in multicellular organisms.
3) Explain the basic concepts of the immunological defense system.
4) Explain endocrine regulation of homeostasis and its signaling mechanisms.
Keywords
Tissue homeostasis, Regeneration, Development, Immunology, Endocrine, Metabolism
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Students may be given small tests or reports. The score of small tests/reports will be used for academic assessment.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | The basics of regenerative biology (Kawakami) | Learn the basics of regenerative biology. Preparation and review of the lecture are strongly recommended. |
| Class 2 | Signals for tissue regeneration (Kawakami) | Learn the molecular signals and their actions during regeneration.Preparation and review of the lecture are strongly recommended. |
| Class 3 | Cell lineage that assists regeneration (Regeneration of bone) (Kawakami) | Learn the origin and fate of regenerating cells (in bone). Preparation and review of the lecture are strongly recommended. |
| Class 4 | Cell lineage that assists regeneration (Regeneration of skin) (Kawakami) | Learn the origin and fate of regenerating cells (in skin). Preparation and review of the lecture are strongly recommended. |
| Class 5 | Positional information during regeneration (Kawakami) | Understand the concept of positional information and its involvement in tissue regeneration. Preparation and review of the lecture are strongly recommended. |
| Class 6 | What is the endocrine system? Endocrine system vs. nervous system (Shiraki) | Understand basic issues of endocrine system. Preparation and review of the textbook is strongly recommended. |
| Class 7 | Hormons, receptors, and signal transduction (Shiraki) | Understand the relationship between hormone and hormone receptor, and hormone- mediated signal transduction. Preparation and review of the textbook is strongly recommended. |
| Class 8 | Physiological roles of hormones (1): Stress response (Shiraki) | Understand the stress-induced hormone secretion. Preparation and review of the textbook is strongly recommended. |
| Class 9 | Physiological roles of hormones (2) : Control of blood glucose levels (Shiraki) | Understand hormone-mediated glucose metabolism. Preparation and review of the textbook is strongly recommended. |
| Class 10 | Structures and genomic organization of immunoglobulins (Nakamura) | Understand the structure and genomic organization of antibodies (immunoglobulins). Preparation and review of the textbook (chapter 25) is strongly recommended. |
| Class 11 | B-cell differentiation and repertoire diversity (Nakamura) | Understand the mechanism of generating antibody diversity. Preparation and review of the textbook (chapter 25) is strongly recommended. |
| Class 12 | Antigen presentation (Nakamura) | Understand the mechanisms of antigen presentation and recognition. Preparation and review of the textbook (chapter 25) is strongly recommended. |
| Class 13 | T-cell differentiation and repertoire diversity (Nakamura) | Understand the mechanism and physiological significance of T-cell differentiation and activation. Preparation and review of the textbook (chapter 25) is strongly recommended. |
| Class 14 | Signal transduction of the adaptative immunity Innate immunity (Introduction) (Nakamura) | Understand the signal transduction of the adaptative immune system and the functions of the innate immune system. Preparation and review of the textbook (chapters 24 & 25) is strongly recommended. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
（Class 1-5）Lewis Wolpert, Cheryll Tickle, Developmental Biology (Medical Science International), ISBN978-4895927161
（Class 6-9) Donald Voet, Judith G.Voet, BIOCHEMISTRY (Tokyo Kagaku Dozin) Part 16-19, ISBN978-4-8079-0807-3
（Class 10-14）Bruce Albert et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 5th Edition (Newton Press) Chapter 24-25, ISBN978-4-315-51867-2
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Course materials will be provided during class or through OCW-I as the need arises.
Kazuwa Nakano 『SAISHIN NAIBUNPITSUTAISHYAGAKU』 (SHINDAN TO CHIRYO SHA) (in Japanease), ISBN978-4-7878-1937-6
Evaluation methods and criteria
Academic assessment will be done by the scores of the small tests and/or reports.
Related courses
- LST.A208 ： Molecular Biology I
- LST.A335 ： Molecular Genetics
- LST.A362 ： Evolution and Developmental Biology
- LST.A346 ： Basic Neuroscience
- LST.A406 ： Molecular Developmental Biology and Evolution
- LST.A401 ： Molecular and Cellular Biology
- LST.A404 ： Cell Physiology
- LST.A213 ： Molecular Biology II
Prerequisites
Student are recommended to complete classes of 6Q and 7Q, Molecular biology 1 and 2, and 9Q Genetics.