GUJARAT UNIVERSITY
B. Sc. (Honors) Microbiology Syllabus (as per NEP)
Third Year B.Sc., Semester V
Discipline Specific Course - Core
Effective from June 2025
Paper Code: DSC-C-MIC-351T
Paper Name: Molecular Biology and Genetics of Prokaryotes
Credit: 04 (04 hrs/week, Total: 60 hrs)
Learning outcomes:
Explains nature, structure and replication of genetic material.
Describes gene structure and molecular mechanism of gene expression.
Explains how gene expression is regulated at transcription level.
Describes types of mutation, mutagen and mutant.
Explains how damaged DNA can be repaired in a living bacterial cell.
Describes how genes are transferred among bacteria.
Unit I Genetic material and its replication Teaching Hours: 15
1. Genetic material
A. Understanding of terms: Chromosome, Nucleoid, Plasmid, Genome, Genetic material, Gene,
Genotype, Phenotype, Replicon
B. Experimental proof for DNA as genetic material: Work of Griffith; Avery, McCarty and
MacLeod; Hershey and Chase
C. The elucidation of DNA structure
2. Replication of DNA
A. Semi conservative nature, Meselson and Stahl’s experiment
B. Molecular mechanism: Strand separation, Synthesis of RNA primer, Formation of leading
strand and lagging strands, Removal of primer, Joining of Okazaki Fragments, Proof reading
activity of DNA polymerase
C. Patterns of DNA replication: Cairn’s (Ø) model and Rolling Circle Mechanism (σ model)
D. Post replication modifications of DNA.
Unit II Gene expression and regulation Teaching Hours:15
1. Fundamentals
A. Central Dogma: The flow of genetic information
B. Structure of the protein coding gene
2. Transcription
A. Initiation: Role of Promoter, RNA polymerase, Sigma factor
Page 1 of 7
B. Elongation
C. Termination: Rho independent and Rho dependent
D. Intron, Exon, Cistron and Polycistronic mRNA
2. Genetic code: Triplet nature, Polarity, Degeneracy, Wobble phenomenon, near universality
3. Translation
A. Initiation: Role of initiation factors, 70 S initiation complex
B. Elongation: Binding of AA-tRNA to A site, peptide bond formation, translocation
C. Termination: Role of release factors.
4. Regulation of gene expression
A. Negative inducible control of lactose operon
B. Catabolite repression and positive control of lactose operon
C. Negative repressible control of tryptophan operon
Unit III Mutation and DNA repair Teaching Hours: 15
1. Types of mutation
A. Spontaneous mutations
(i) Experimental proof for spontaneous nature of mutation: work of Joshua and E. Lederberg
(ii) Transition, Transversion, Insertion, Deletion, Development of AP sites
B. Induced mutations
(i) Chemical mutagenesis by 5-bromouracil, methyl-nitrosoguanidine and acridine orange, Ames
Test for chemical mutagens and carcinogens.
(ii) Physical mutagenesis by UV radiations
(iii) Biological mutagenesis by phage Mu
2. Transposable elements: Properties, Insertion Sequences (IS), Tn elements, Transposon
mutagenesis
3. Effects of mutation in protein coding gene
A. Forward mutations: Silent, Missense, Nonsense, Frame shift
B. Reverse mutation: True reversion
C. Suppressor mutation: Intragenic and Extragenic
4. Classes of bacterial mutants:
Morphological, conditional, biochemical (nutritional) and resistant mutants
5. DNA repair mechanisms
A. Direct: Photo-reactivation repair
B. Indirect: Excision (base and nucleotide) repair, Mismatch repair
C. SOS repair system
Page 2 of 7
Unit IV Gene transfer among bacteria Teaching Hours: 15
1. Fundamentals: Zygote, Allele, Recombination, Horizontal and Vertical gene transfer, Production
and fate of merozygote
2. Bacterial plasmids:
General properties, functional types of plasmids, maintenance of plasmids
3. Gene transfer mechanisms
A. Transformation: Competent cell, natural transformation and DNA uptake system in Gm +ve
and Gm -ve bacteria, artificial transformation of bacteria using plasmid
B. Transduction:
i. Lytic and Lysogenic life cycles of bacteriophage
ii. Generalized and Specialized transduction
C. Conjugation: Formation of mating pairs, F+ X F- Mating, Hfr Conjugation, F’ Conjugation
Reference Books:
1. Prescott, Harley, and Klein’s Microbiology, J. M. Willey, L. M. Sherwood, C. J. Woolverton,
11th Edition (2020), McGraw Hill Higher Education- USA
2. Principles of Microbiology, R. M. Atlas, 2nd Edition (Indian Edition) (2015), McGraw Hill
Education (India) Private Limited –New Delhi
Page 3 of 7
GUJARAT UNIVERSITY
B. Sc. (Honors) Microbiology Syllabus (as per NEP)
Third Year B.Sc., Semester V
Discipline Specific Course - Core
Effective from June 2025
Paper Code: DSC-C-MIC-352T
Paper Name: Bacterial Metabolism
Credit: 04 (04 hrs/week, Total: 60 hrs)
Learning outcomes:
Understanding free energy, energy rich compounds, enzyme kinetics
Explains fundamentals of metabolic regulation and biosynthesis
Give detail explanation of EMP, ED, PP pathways and TCA cycle.
Explains modes of ATP generation such as substrate level, oxidative and photophosphorylation
Explains various fueling reactions of chemo-lithotrophic and phototrophic bacteria
Describes various biosynthetic pathways of bacteria.
Explains how fatty acids are catabolized and anabolized in a bacterial cell
Explains how peptidoglycan is synthesized in a bacterial cell
Unit I Fundamentals of metabolism Teaching Hours: 15
1. Energy: Its generation and conservation
A. Free energy, the standard free energy change, redox potential, exothermic and
endothermic reactions
B. Energy rich compounds: Compounds with phosphoenhydride, acyl phosphate, enol
phosphate, guanidine phosphate and thioester bonds. Structure and function of ATP
2. Enzyme kinetics
A. Michaelis-Menten equation
B. Lineweaver-Burk plot and its significance
3. Metabolic regulation
A. Significance of metabolic regulation
B. Types of regulatory mechanisms
i. Metabolic channeling
ii. Regulation of enzyme activity: Allosteric regulation, feedback inhibition,
covalent modification, energy linked control, precursor activation
4. Fundamentals of biosynthesis
A. Principles governing biosynthesis, strategies of biosynthesis
B. Structure and function of NAD/NADP as reducing power
C. Methods of studying biosynthesis: Study of enzymes, sequential induction, use of
metabolic inhibitors, biochemical mutants, isotopes and pulse labelling technique
Page 4 of 7
Unit II Fueling reactions in heterotrophs Teaching Hours: 15
1. Catabolism of glucose: EMP, ED and PP pathways of glucose catabolism
2. Tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle: Catabolic and anabolic role of TCA cycle
3. Modes of ATP generation
A. Substrate level phosphorylation
B. Oxidative phosphorylation: Components of electron transport chain (ETC) in bacteria
and their function, generation of proton motive force and its role, mechanism of
oxidative phosphorylation and chemiosmotic coupling hypothesis, structure and
function of ATP phosphohydrolase, inhibitors and uncouplers
C. Anaerobic respiration: Types of anaerobic respiration, ETC in nitrate respiration
4. Fermentation: Overview, lactic acid, ethanol, mixed acid and butanediol fermentations
5. Catabolism of fatty acids and proteins
A. β-oxidation of fatty acids
B. Catabolism of amino acids: deamination, decarboxylation, transamination, Stickland
reaction
Unit III Fueling reactions in chemolithotrophs and phototrophs Teaching Hours: 15
1. Fueling reactions in chemolithotrophs
A. Physiological groups of chemolithotrophs
B. Generation of ATP and reducing power in chemolithotrophs, role of forward and
reverse electron transport chain
2. Fueling reactions in phototrophs
A. Physiological groups of phototrophs
B. Photosynthetic pigments in phototrophic eubacteria
C. Photosynthetic apparatus in phototrophic eubacteria
D. Cyclic and noncyclic photophosphorylation
E. Photophosphorylation in halobacteria
Unit IV Biosynthesis Teaching Hours: 15
1. Feeder pathways and their significance
A. Anaplerotic reactions, B. Glyoxylate cycle
2. Assimilation of ammonia, nitrate, molecular nitrogen and sulphate
3. Carbohydrate biosynthesis
A. Pathways for CO2 fixation: Calvin cycle, reductive TCA cycle
B. Gluconeogenesis in heterotrophs
C. Biosynthesis of peptidoglycan
4. Biosynthesis of saturated & unsaturated fatty acids, polymerization of fatty acids into lipids
Page 5 of 7
Reference Books:
1. General Microbiology, Stanier, R. Y., Ingrahm, J. L., Wheelis, M. L. and Painter, P. R.
5thedn. (1995), Mac Millan Press Ltd., Hong Kong
2. Prescott, Harley, and Klein’s Microbiology, J. M. Willey, L. M. Sherwood, C. J. Woolverton,
11th Edition (2020), McGraw Hill Higher Education- USA
3. Principles of Microbiology, R. M. Atlas, 2nd Edition (Indian Edition) (2015), McGraw Hill
Education (India) Private Limited –New Delhi
Suggested Reading
1. Principles of Biochemistry, Cox, M. M. and Nelson, D. L. Lehninger 5thedn (2008), W. H.
Freeman and Company, USA.
Page 6 of 7
GUJARAT UNIVERSITY
B. Sc. (Honors) Microbiology Syllabus (as per NEP)
Third Year B.Sc., Semester V
Discipline Specific Course - Core
Effective from June 2025
Paper Code: DSC-C-MIC-353P
Paper Name: Microbiology Practicals
Credit: 04 (08 hrs/week, Total: 120 hrs)
1. Study of electron micrographs of bacterial chromosome (nucleoid), bacterial plasmid
(supercoiled and relaxed), theta model (Cairn’s model) of bacterial DNA replication,
polysome (polyribosome), bacterial conjugation.
2. Isolation of lac— mutants of Escherichia coli using UV radiations as mutagen.
3. Isolation of pigmentless mutant of Serratia marcescens using UV radiations as mutagen.
4. Isolation of streptomycin resistant mutants of Escherichia coli by gradient plate method.
5. Isolation of streptomycin resistant mutants of Escherichia coli by replica plate method.
(Demonstration only)
6. Estimation of reducing sugar (glucose) by Cole’s method.
7. Estimation of glucose by Nelson-Somogy’s method.
8. Estimation of protein by Folin-Lawry’s method.
9. Estimation of glucose by GOD - POD method.
10. Determination of bacterial amylase activity by iodometric method.
11. Separation of amino acids by paper chromatography.
12. Separation of amino acids by thin layer chromatography.
Page 1 of 12
GUJARAT UNIVERSITY
B.Sc. (Honors) Microbiology Syllabus (as per NEP)
Third Year B. Sc. Semester V, Microbiology
Discipline Specific Course - Minor
Effective from June-2025
Paper Code: DSC-M-MIC-354 T
Paper Name: Fermentation technology
Credits: 04 (04 hrs/ week, Total: 60 hrs)
Unit I Introduction to fermentation technology Teaching hours 15
Chronological development in industrial microbiology
Introduction to the component parts of fermentation process
Range of fermentation processes
Methods of fermentation: surface culture fermentation, submerged (batch, fed batch
and continuous) fermentation, solid state fermentation
Basics of primary and secondary screening
Unit II Fermenter design Teaching hours 15
Essential features (basic functions) of a bioreactor
Body construction and design of typical stirred tank fermenter
Devices of aeration and agitation
Devices of monitoring pH, temperature, foam and dissolved oxygen
Introduction to scale up
Unit-III Fermentation media, sterilization and inoculum development
Teaching hours 15
Media for industrial fermentation and its ingredients
Sterilization of media and air
Criteria for inoculum development in general
Introduction to strain improvement
Methods of preservation
Unit-IV Microorganisms in industry Teaching hours 15
Industrial Uses of Bacteria: Vinegar Production, Insulin Production
Industrial Uses of Yeasts: Alcohol Fermentation, Bakers' Yeast
Industrial Uses of Molds: Penicillin Production, Amylase Production
Safety procedures: containment and cleanroom environment
Fermentation economics
Reference Books:
1. Principles of Fermentation Technology, Stanbury P F, Whitaker A and Hall SJ, (1995),
2nd edition, Pergamon Press, London, UK
2. Industrial Microbiology: An Introduction, Waites, M J and Morgan N L, (2002),
Blackwell Science
3. Biotechnology: A Textbook of Industrial Microbiology, Crueger W and Crueger A,
(2000), 2nd edition, Panima Publishing Corporation, New Delhi, India
4. Fermentation Microbiology and Biotechnology, El-Mansi E M T, Bryce CFA, Dahhou
B, Sanchez S, Demain AL, Allman AR (eds), (2011), 3rd edition, CRC Press; Taylor and
Francis Group, Boca Raton
5. Industrial Microbiology, Casida LE, Jr. (1968), Wiley Eastern Ltd, New Delhi, India
GUJARAT UNIVERSITY
B.Sc. (Honors) Microbiology Syllabus (as per NEP)
Third Year B. Sc. Semester V, Microbiology
Discipline Specific Course - Minor
Effective from June-2025
Paper Code: DSC-M-MIC-355 P
Paper Name: Microbiology Practicals
Credits: 04 (08 hrs/ week, Total: 120 hrs)
1. Study of industrially important bacteria: Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus
megaterium (Isolation, cultivation, morphology and cultural characters)
2. Primary screening of amylase producers
3. Primary screening of organic acid producers
4. Primary screening of antibiotic producers by crowded plate method
5. Determination of OTR under static, sparging and shake flask condition by
sulphite oxidation method
6. Antibiotic susceptibility test by multidisc method
7. Inoculum development of bacterial culture for amylase fermentation
8. Production and estimation of amylase
9. Fermentative production of alcohol from yeast and determination of its
alcohol content
10.Sterility testing of pharmaceutical product
