BIOTECHNOLOGY SYLLABUS
UNIT-I
Cell Biology, Genetics and Biochemistry
1. Cellular organelles-Plasma membrane, cell wall, Mitochondria, Chloroplast, Nucleus,
Intracellular compartments-I: Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum;
Intracellular compartments-II: Lysosomes, peroxisomes; their structural
organization; Cytoskeleton: Microtubules, intermediate filaments and
microfilaments.
2. Cell cycle: Molecular models and events. Regulators and checkpoints in cell cycle;
Molecular mechanisms of cell division.
3. Transport across cell membrane: Major types of membrane transport, Active
transport, Co-transport, Symports, Antiports, Ion channels, Osmosis; Protein sorting:
Transport of proteins into mitochondria, chloroplast and lysosomes.
4. Mendel’s laws of inheritance and chromosomal theory of heredity; Gene linkage and
crossing over, Chromosomal mapping, Tetrad analysis; Pedigree analysis. Lod score
for linkage testing, Karyotypes, Genetic disorders, Polygenic Inheritance, Heritability
and its measurements, QTL mapping.; Spontaneous and chemical mutation, Frame-
shift mutation, point mutations and chromosomal aberrations; Human chromosomes,
Genetic diseases and syndromes.
5. Weak Interactions in aqueous solution (Dipole movement, van der Waal’s, ionic and
hydrophobic interactions. Hydrogen bonding). Weak acids, bases, pH and buffers,
Blood buffering system. Bioenergetics: Laws of Thermodynamics, entropy, enthalpy
and free energy, standard free energy, free energy change, chemical equilibrium.
Phosphoryl group transfer and ATP.
6. Peptide bond, ionization behavior of peptides, biologically active peptides. Levels of
protein structure. Determination of primary structure of protein. Three dimensional
structures of proteins. Protein denaturation and Protein folding; Biosynthesis of
Amino acids, Amino acid catabolism
7. Enzymes: Nomenclature, classification and properties; Enzyme kinetics; Enzyme
inhibition; Regulation of enzyme action
8. Carbohydrate metabolism: Glycolysis, TCA cycle, glyoxalate cycle, pentose-
phosphate pathway; Gluconeogenesis; Oxidative phosphorylation, electron transport
and ATP synthesis; Photosynthesis
9. Lipids: Classification, storage lipids, structural lipids; Biosynthesis and oxidation of
fatty acids. Nucleotides and Nucleic acids. Biosynthesis and degradation of
Nucleotides.
UNIT-II
Molecular Biology, analytical techniques and Biostatistics
1. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic Genome organization, organelles genomes; DNA
Replication: prokaryotic and eukaryotic DNA replication, Mechanism of DNA
replication, Enzymes and accessory proteins involved in DNA replication;
Mutability and DNA repair; Genetic Recombination
2. Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic transcription and regulation; Post transcriptional
modifications (processing, capping and polyadenylation, splicing). Prokaryotic and
eukaryotic translation and regulation; co- and post-translational modifications of
proteins.
3. Signaling pathways that control gene activity: TGFβ receptors and Smads, Cytokine
Receptors and JAK-STAT pathway, Receptor Tyrosine kinases and Ras, MAP kinase
pathways; Signaling at the cell surface: Signalling molecules and cell-surface
receptors, second messengers, G protein coupled receptor, activation of gene
transcription by G protein coupled receptors.
4. Microscopy: Principle of operation and Instrumentation, Ultraviolet-visible absorption
spectroscopy: Principle, Instrumentation and application. Fluorescence
spectrophotometry: Principle, Instrumentation and application. Centrifugation
techniques: Basic principles of sedimentation, Methods in preparatory
ultracentrifugation. Principles of chromatography, types and applications,
Electrophoretic techniques: General principles, electrophoresis of proteins and nucleic
acids. Western Blotting, ELISA, ChIP, FACS.
5. Statistics: Definition, functions and limitations, frequency distribution, Descriptive
Measures: Averages and Dispersions (Grouped and ungrouped). Probability in
statistics, Inferential statistics: Definition-parameter, Statistic sampling distributors,
standard error, Test of Hypothesis, type I and Type II errors. Large sample tests: Z
tests, small sample tests: t and F tests. Chi-square test: Goodness of fit and Test of
independence. Curve Fitting, Simple correlation and Regression. Correction and
Regression. Analysis of variance: one way and two way classification.
UNIT-III
Microbiology, Immunology and Bioinformatics
1. Historical background of Microbiology, Microbial Ecosystem, Branches of
Microbiology and its application. Sterilization, Culture Media, Culture techniques,
Microbial staining and identification methods, Maintenance and preservation.
2. Microbial growth: Growth curve, factors affecting microbial growth. Microbial
evolution, metabolic strategies and their molecular coding, bacterial taxonomy
and nomenclature, Bergey’s manual, Ribotyping. Bacteria: Cell structure, genetic
recombination in bacteria. Metabolic diversity among micro-organisms: microbial
photosynthesis. Archaea, Eukarya and Viruses: classification and structure of
viruses, replication of DNA- and RNA- viruses, Infectious microorganism,
3. Microbial diseases: Disease reservoirs, epidemiological technology, infectious
disease transmission, respiratory infections, STDs, and diseases transmitted by
animals, insects, ticks. Food and water-borne diseases, Microbial toxins: virulence
and pathogenesis.
4. Chemotherapeutic agents, Antibiotics and their mode of action: Penicillins and
Cephalosporins, broad-spectrum antibiotics, antibiotics from prokaryotes,
antifungal antibiotics, antibiotics resistance, Multiple Drug Resistance, Antiviral
chemotherapeutic agents.
5. Immune system, types of immunity, Immune cells, Haematopoiesis and
differentiation, B-lymphocytes, T-lymphocytes, Macrophages, Dendritic cells,
Natural Killer cells, Lymphokine activated killer cells, Eosinophils, Neutrophils and
Mast cells.
6. Organization and Structure of Lymphoid Organs Activation and regulation of B and
T lymphocytes. Structure and function of antibody molecule, Antigen – Antibody
interaction, Major histocompatibility complex and MHC restriction,
Transplantation
7. Antigen Processing and Presentation, Generation of humoral and cell mediated
immune response. BCR and TCR, generation of diversity Complement system
Cytokine and their role in immune regulation
8. Cytotoxicity and its types (Cell-mediated, Antibody dependent cell mediated
cytotoxicity, and macrophage mediated), Hypersensitivity and Autoimmunity.
Tumor Immunology, immunodeficiency diseases.
9. Bioinformatics, Database management system, e.g. Genebank, EMBL, Swiss- Prot,
Sequence database like FASTA, BLAST algorithm and Bioinformatics tools. Pairwise
sequence alignment, multiple sequence alignment, Gene prediction and Protein
structure prediction.
UNIT-IV
Genetic Engineering, Bioprocessing Engineering and Environmental Biotechnology & IPR
1. Genetic engineering, Molecular tools: DNA modifying Enzymes, Hosts (E. coli, yeast,
animal cells and Plant cells) and Cloning and expression vectors (Plasmids,
Bacteriophages, Cosmids, Phagemids and Artificial Chromosomes). Screening
(Phenotypic, antibiotic and through hybridization)
2. Genome mapping, physical mapping, map-based cloning. Genome sequencing:
Construction of Genomic and cDNA libraries, application in identification of
defective genes. Expression cloning, Jumping or hopping libraries, Molecular markers
in genome analysis (RFLP, RAPD, AFLP, SSLPs, STRs and SNPs). Molecular markers for
disease resistant genes, Application of molecular markers.
3. DNA transfection methods: Physical methods, Chemical method, Virus mediated
transfection, Heterologous genes expression, DNA-protein interactions: EMSA, DNase
foot printing, Methyl interference assay, CHIP, Phage display.
4. Site-directed Mutagenesis and protein engineering, Processing of recombinant
proteins, Role of gene tagging in gene analysis, Gene therapy: Vector engineering.
Strategies of gene delivery, gene replacement/augmentation, gene correction, gene
editing, gene regulation, Knockout and transgenic technologies, Gene silencing
5. Industrial application of enzymes: Enzyme immobilization, Whole cell immobilization
and their industrial application. Types of Microbial metabolism process, nitrogen
fixation , biofertilizers, Industrial production of biofertilizers
6. Bioreactors (types, construction, working principle, application), Uses of
immobilized enzymes in bioreactors, specialized bioreactors (pulsed, fluidized and
photo-bioreactors). Downstream processing, removal microbial cells from
bioreactors, foam preparation, filtration, drying and crystallization.
7. Industrial production of chemicals: alcohols, Acids, solvents, Antibiotics, Amino acid.
Large scale production methods of biofertilizers and their use. Food technology:
Canning and packing, Sterilization and pasteurization Food preservation, Single cell
proteins. Micro-algal technology.
8. Wastewater Treatment, Oxidation Pond, Anaerobic process of treatment, Solid waste
management (Composting, Vermicultre and Biogas production), Biopesticides,
Biofuels. Acid rain, Arid and semi-arid plant biotechnology, Green house technology,
Environmental pollution and measures; Air, Water, Soil, Radioactive pollutions.
Bioremediation, Degradation of Xenobiotoc compounds, Bioprospecting of Marine
Organisms, Sea weeds as food, Phycocolloids and source of Pharmaceuticals
compounds.
9. Introduction to intellectual property: Types of IP (Trademarks, Copyright & Related
rights, Industrial design, Traditional knowledge, Geographical indications, Protection
of GMOs) Agreements and Treaties (GATT & TRIPS agreement, Madrid agreement,
Hague Agreement, WIPO treaties, Budapest treaty, PCT, Indian Patent Act 1970 &
recent amendments. Basics of patents (Types of patent application and
Specifications), concept of Prior Art and patent filing procedures.
UNIT V
Animal and Plant Biotechnology
1. Animal cell culture: Primary culture, maintenance and preservation. Tissue
disaggregation, Culture media, types and composition, Cell separation Method, Cell
cloning techniques, characterization and identification’
2. Organ culture, In vitro fertilization, Three-dimensional culture. Tissue engineering:
Design stages for tissue engineering, cell substrates and support materials, cell
sources, orientation and protocol.
3. Cytotoxicity studies, Necrosis and apoptosis, cell preservation: Cryopreservation.
Hybridoma technology, monoclonal antibodies. Stem cell culture and its application.
4. Plant cell and tissue culture. Tissue culture media, callus and suspension culture;
single cell clones. Morphogenesis and Organogenesis; Organization of shoot and root
apical meristem, development of shoot, root, Leaf, flower and Phyllotaxy.
5. Shoot tip culture, Clonal propagation and production of virus free plants, Anther,
pollen and ovary culture for production of haploid plants and homozygous lines,
Embryo culture and embryo rescue. Protoplast isolation, culture and fusion,
regeneration of hybrid plants, symmetric and asymmetric hybrids, cybrids.
6. Plant transformation technology: Tumor formation, hairy root, features of Ti and Ri
plasmids, Agrobcterium-mediated of DNA transfer, role of virulence genes, use of
Ti and Ri as vectors. 35S and other promoters, genetic markers, Reporter genes,
reporter gene with introns, and scaffold attachment regions. Methods of nuclear
transformation.
7. Application of plant transformation: resistance to Biotic and abiotic factors. Abiotic
stress, use of ACC synthease, ACC oxidase, ADP glucose pyrophosphatase.
8. Chloroplast transformation, Metabolic Engineering and industrial products: Plant
secondary metabolites, control mechanisms and manipulation biochemical
pathways.
