Syllabus Senior Scientific Assistant Physiology : DETAILED SYLLABUS FOR THE POST OF SENIOR SCIENTIFIC ASSISTANT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY DIRECT RECRUITMENT IN MEDICAL
EDUCATION
Cat.No: 409/2023
Total Marks : 100 Marks
409/2023 Syllabus Kerala PSC
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MODULE 1. (10 Marks)
SYSTEMATICS, ANIMAL DIVERSITY, ETHOLOGY, EVOLUTION AND ZOOGEOGRAPHY
SYSTEMATICS
Basic concepts, Importance and Applications,
Theories of Biological classification, Taxonomic characters. Five kingdom classification
Hierarchy of categories, Obligatory categories of classification
Species concept
Taxonomic procedures and Tools: Collection, Preservation, Curating and Identification
Taxonomic keys: ICZN, Nomenclature, merits and demerits, ethics,
Modern Taxonomic Trends: Chemotaxonomy, Cytotaxonomy, Molecular taxonomy,
Cladistics, Numerical taxonomy, Bar coding techniques
ANIMAL DIVERSITY
Lower Metazoans: Porifera, Cnidaria-Polymorphism, Ctenophora, Acoelomata, Placozoa,
Mesozoa and Pseudo-coelomata
Phylogenetic position of Molluscs, Adaptive Radiation in Molluscs and Annelids.
Phylogeny of Arthropod-Monophyly and Polyphyly
Echinoderms: Classification and adaptive radiation
Hemichordates : Position in the animal kingdom, phylogeny and evolutionary significance
Chordates: Cephalochordates and Urochordates. Vertebrate Phylogeny-Agnatha, Ostraco
derms and Gnathostomes Placoderms, Acanthodians, Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes.
Structural and Functional adaptations of fishes.
Terrestrial Vertebrates: Tetrapod phylogeny – modern Amphibians, diversity, distribution,
status and threats.
Reptiles – origin and adaptive radiation. Mesozoic world of reptiles and extinction.
Birds and Mammals: Origin of birds and mammals. Structural and functional modifications
for aerial life.
Class Mammalia: Prototheria, Metatheria and Eutheria. Phylogeny of Mammalian orders.
Adaptive radiation in mammals.
Scientific names and common names of organisms under all phylums
Organisms with special features,
Exceptions in biology
ETHOLOGY
Learning behaviour: Short and long term memory, Habituation, Classical conditioning
(Pavlov’s experiments), Instrumental conditioning, Latent learning, Trial and error learning,
Instinct, Imprinting.
Communication behaviour: Evolution of communication, Sensory mechanisms: Electrical,
Chemical, Olfactory, Auditory and Visual. Dance language of honey bees, Pheromonal
communication
Orientation, Navigation, Migration (Fishes and birds), Navigation cues. Biological rhythms
Circadian, Lunar periodicity, Tidal rhythms.
Social Behaviour: Aggregations, altruism, inclusive fitness, co-operation, territoriality,alarm
call, social organization in insects and primates
Adaptations to stress- basic concept of environmental stress, acclimation, acclimatization,
avoidance and tolerance
EVOLUTION
Pre-Darwanian, Lamarck, Darwin and Wallace and Post Darwinian concepts. Concepts of
variation, adaptation, struggle, fitness and natural selection-spontaneity of mutation.
Origin and Evolution of Life, Origin of basic biological molecules, abiotic synthesis of or
ganic monomers and polymers, concept of Oparin – Haldane, Miller-Urey Experiments.
The RNA world. Idea of Panspermia. The First Cell. Evolution of Prokaryotes- origin of
eukaryotic cells- evolution of unicellular eukaryotes, genome evolution. Geological
Timescale. Major events in evolutionary timescale. Anthropocene. Tools and techniques in
estimating evolutionary time scale. Mass extinction and its consequences. Fossilsfossilization and its significance.
Population Genetics. Gene pool, gene frequency, Hardy-Weinberg Law. Rate of change
ingene frequency through natural selection, migration and random genetic drift. Founder
effect. Isolating mechanisms and speciation. Micro, Macro and Mega evolution. Coevolution.
Developmental and Evolutionary Genetics, Gradualism v/s punctuated equilibrium,
anagenesis v/s cladogenesis,
Primate Evolution and Human Origins. Stages in Primate evolution- Prosimii, Anthropoidea
and Hominids. Factors in human origin, hominid fossils. Cytogenetic and molecular basis of
origin of man-African origin of modern man- Mitochondrial Eve, Y chromosomal Adam
ZOOGEOGRAPHY
Biogeographical zones of India
MODULE II (10 Marks)
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND BIOSTATISTICS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Basic concepts – Knowledge, Information and Data – Science, Pseudoscience. Life Science
Definition, Laws, Characteristics. Scientific temper, Empiricism, Rationalism and Units of
measurements. Types of Research (Descriptive/Analytical, Applied/ Fundamental,
Quantitative/ Qualitative, Conceptual/Empirical. Research and scientific method. Research
Process. Research formulation -Observation and Facts, Prediction and explanation,
Induction, Deduction. Hypothesis -Null and alternate hypothesis and testing of hypothesis –
Research Design -Basic principles, Meaning, Need and features of good design,
Important concepts. Development of a research plan -Exploration, Description, Diagnosis,
Experimentation, determining experimental and sample designs.
Data collection techniques. Scientific Documentation and Communication. Information
Science, Extension and Ethics:
Sources of Information -Primary and secondary sources. Intellectual Property Rights –
Copy right, Patents, Trademarks, Geographical indications. Safety and precaution – ISO
standards, Lab protocols, Lab animal use, care and welfare, animal houses, radiation
hazards. Extension: Lab to Field, Extension communication,
BIOSTATISTICS
Data and Variable (Collection, Types, Sources).Population, Sample, Sampling Methods
(Random, Cluster, Stratified and Geographical) and Sampling Errors/Bias. Organization of
Data – Editing, Classification, Tabulation (forming a frequency distribution from raw data
and types and characteristics of a Frequency table).Presentation of Data – Types and
Characteristics of Tables and Visual aids – Graphs, Charts, Diagrams, Flow charts,
Cartographs. Statistical Analysis Tools – Parametric and Non Parametric; Bivariate
and Multivariate Analysis. Interpretation and Forecasting, Characteristics, Merits and De
merits of Mean, Median and Mode, Range, Quartile Deviation, Mean Deviation and
Standard Deviation. Correlation, Regression, Probability analysis. Probability distributions
Binomial, Poisson and Normal. Chi- Square Test Student’s ‘t’ test
F-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA – One way)
MODULE III (10 Marks)
BIOPHYSICS AND INSTRUMENTATION BIOPHYSICS
Diffusion and Osmosis: Diffusion -Kinetics of diffusion, Fick’s law of diffusion and diffu
sion coefficient, Biological significance in animals, Electrochemical gradient,
Stokes-Einstein equation and Graham’s law, Facilitated diffusion,
Gibbs-Donnan equilibrium. Osmosis- osmotic concentration and osmotic pressure, Van’t
Hoff’s laws. Biological significance of osmosis in animals.
Radiation Biophysics: Ionizing radiation, units of radioactivity, exposure and dose.
Interaction of radiation with matter – effect on nucleic acids, proteins, enzymes and
carbohydrates. Cellular effects of radiation : somatic and genetic. Nuclear medicine :
Internally administered radioisotopes. Radio iodine in thyroid function analysis.
Renal, liver and lung function analysis. Application of radioactive tracers,
Radiation protection and therapy.
INSTRUMENTATION
Microscopy: Light microscope and dark field microscope, Phase contrast micro
scope, Differential Interference contrast (Nomarsky) microscopy, Confocal micro
scope, Electron microscope –TEM, SEM, Scanning Tunnelling and Atomic Force Micro
scopes., Polarising microscope, fluorescence microscope and camera lucida
Chromatography: Paper chromatography, Thin layer chromatography, Ion exchange chro
matography. Gel permeation chromatography, Affinity chromatography, Gas chromatogra
phy, High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Electrophoresis. Paper electrophoresis,
Gel electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) – SDS and nonSDS ,
Agarose gel electrophoresis , Disc electrophoresis, High voltage electrophoresis,
immunoelectrophoresis, isoelectric focusing.
Colorimetry, Spectrophotometry and Spectroscopy. Principle and applications of
colorimetry and spectrophotometry (UV and visual) . Spectroscopy , X-ray diffraction
crystallography, Flame emission spectroscopy, Atomic absorption spectroscopy,
Nuclear Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), Circular dichroism spectroscopy,
ESR spectroscopy, Mass spectroscopy.
Centrifugation: Basic principles of sedimentation, Types of centrifuges, Analytical and
Preparative centrifugation, Differential and density gradient centrifugation. Radioisotope
Detection and Measurement. Dosimetry: Ionization chamber, GM counter, Solid and
liquid scintillation counters, Autoradiography.
Nanotechnology: Nanosensors and Nanomedicines,
Radio Immuno Assay, Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbant Assay (ELISA).
pH meter, Principle and working. Types of pH meters.
Electrophysiological methods: ECG, EEG, PET, MRI, CAT,
Biological and Histological Techniques: Fixation, preparation of temporary and permanent
slides, whole mounts, smears, squashes and sections. Specimen preparation for TEM, SEM,
shadow casting, freeze fracturing, freeze etching, negative staining. Microphotography.
Cytochemical and histological methods- Microtome techniques, fixation, staining.
Cytochemistry of nucleic acids, detection of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids.
MODULE IV (10 Marks)
BIOCHEMISTRY, PHYSIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY
Macromolecules and their subunits. Chemical bonds of biomolecules. Carbohydrates:
Classification of carbohydrates with examples-Structure of monosaccharides- glucose,
fructose, galactose, mannose and ribose. Isomerism – Structural isomerism (functional group
isomerism) and stereo isomerism (optical isomerism)- mention epimer, anomer and
enantiomer with examples , Mutarotation Biological roles of monosaccharides.
Structure and biological roles of maltose, sucrose, lactose, trehalose and cellobiose.
Hompolysaccharides – Structure and biological roles of cellulose, starch, glycogen, inulin
and chitin. Heteropolysaccharide – Structure and biological roles of hyaluronic acid,
chondroitin, chondroitin sulphate, keratan sulphate, heparin and agar-agar Proteins: Amino
acids, Classification: (a) on the basis of number of amino and carboxyl group (b) on the
basis of the chemical composition of side chain (c) based on the polarity of side chain (R)
Amphoteric properties of amino acids pk value and Isoelectric point (pI) of amino acids.
Peptide bond and peptides (di, tri, tetra, oligo and polypeptide). Structure of protein.
Primary structure, Secondary structure ( -helix -parallel & antiparallel and B-pleated sheet),
random coil conformation, Tertiary structure, Quarternary structure. Brief note on protein
domains, motifs, folds and Ramachandran plot. Biological roles of proteins Lipids:
Classification of lipids -Simple lipids (fats, oils and waxes), compound lipids
(phospholipids, glycolipids, lipoproteins and sulpholipids) and derived lipids. Biological
roles of lipids – as food reserves (storage lipids), structural lipids in membrane, as signals, as
co-factors, as pigments, as insulators, as vitamin carriers. Prostaglandins – Chemical nature
and functions. Fatty acids – definition; essential fatty acids. Classification with examplesSaturated, unsaturated, hydroxyl and cyclic fatty acids Nomenclature of fatty acids –
Genevan system. Nucleic acids: Structural organization of DNA (Watson -Crick model)
Structural organization of t-RNA;. Biological roles of nucleotides and nucleic acids
Enzymes: Classification- (I.U.B. system). Mechanism of enzyme action: Formation of
enzyme substrate complex- Michaelis-Menten theory, Fischer’s template theory and
Koshland’s induced fit theory. Factors influencing enzyme action. Enzyme kinetics –
Michaelis-Menten equation – derivation; significance of K m ,and V max
Values. LineweaverBurk equation and double reciprocal plot of enzyme reaction. Enzyme inhibition –
Competitive, non-competitive and uncompetitive inhibition, suicide
inhibition and feedback inhibition. Classification, Structure and functions of Vitamins.
Vitamins as co-enzymes.
Bioenergetics: Laws of thermodynamics and biological system- Enthalpy, Entropy, Free
energy concept. Energy of activation, Standard free energy change. Role of ATP as a free
energy carrier in the biological system.
Metabolism and biosynthesis of biomolecules. Carbohydrate metabolism. Glycolysis –
Fate of pyruvic acid Citric acid cycle; Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and ketoglutarate
dehydrogenase complex Electron transport system and oxidative phosphorylation; Redox
potential, Chemiosmotic hypothesis; inhibitors of electron transport chain Gluconeogenesis,
Glycogenesis, Glycogenolysis; regulation of glycogen synthesis and breakdown . Pentose
phosphate pathway (HMP pathway) and its significance Uronic acid pathway Amino acid
metabolism: Biosynthesis and degradation of amino acids – glutamic acid, phenyl alanine,
methionine, tryptophan, isoleucine, histidine, valine. Fate of amino acids in the body.
Transamination, Decarboxylation and deamination reactions in the biological system. Lipid
metabolism Oxidation of fatty acids Biosynthesis of fatty acids. Biosynthesis of cholesterol
Nucleic acid metabolism. Biosynthesis and degradation of purines and pyramidines
PHYSIOLOGY
Nutrition: Constituents of normal diet and their daily requirements. Physiological calorie
value of food stuffs. Antioxidant nutrients. Movements of GI tract: deglutition, gastric
motility and emptying, intestinal motility and defecation. Mechanism of absorption of
monosaccarides, amino acids and lipids and vitamins. The role of hormones and
neurotransmitters in the control of gastrointestinal Motility.Energy balance and obesitycauses and consequences. BMR and its significance.
Excretory System: Introduction: Brief description of different types of excretory organs in
different animal groups (flame cells, green glands, malpighian tubules). Functional anatomy
of mammalian kidney, nephron and juxtaglomerular apparatus- structure ,parts and function.
Urine formation (glomerular filtration, tubular reabsorption and tubular secretion)
Regulation of water balance -Mechanism of concentration of urine – Counter Current
system . Renal regulation of acid- base balance & electrolyte balance. Structure of
urinary bladder, micturition reflex and micturition. Renal clearance – definition,
concept and significance; clearance value of urea, creatinine, phosphate, potassium,
chloride and sodium.
Respiratory system: Introduction: Brief description of major respiratory organs (tracheal
system, book lungs, gills and ctenidia). Physiological anatomy and histology of respiratory
passage and lungs. Mechanism of pulmonary ventilation (inspiration & expiration) .Alveolar
ventilation, dead space and its effect on alveolar ventilation. Role of surfactant in alveolar
expansion. Pulmonary volumes and capacities – definition & normal values (tidal
volume, inspiratory reserve volume, expiratory reserve volume, residual volume, functional
residual capacity, inspiratory capacity, vital capacity, total lung capacity). Exchange of
gases- partial pressures involved-lung and tissues. Oxygen dissociation curve –
factors affecting binding of oxygen to haemoglobin (PO2
,PCO2
,CO, pH, body temperature,
diphosphoglyceric acid level, foetal haemoglobin and also myoglobin). Neural and chemical
regulation of respiration: Respiratory centres & factors regulating respiration.
Nervous system: Organisation of human brain. Cerebrum and cerebral lobe. Cerebral cortex
and its functional areas- Motor cortex, Broca‟s area ,cortex and its association area,
gustatory cortex, visual cortex and its association area, auditory cortex and its association
area, olfactory cortex, wernick‟s area, Brodman map, cerebral dominance . Cortical white
matter- commissures, association fibers, projection fibers, corpus callosum and fornix, basal
nuclei, Brain stem, Cerebellum, Diencephalon –. Functional brain systems – Limbic system
and reticular formation. Protection of brain – Meninges, cerebrospinal fluid- formation and
function, blood brain barrier and its function. Diseased states of brain – schiz ophrenia,
Alzheimer’s disease, Senile dementia & Parkinson’s disease. somatosensory. Memorytypes of memory- short term, intermediate long term and Long term memory, consolidation
of memory. PNS and Autonomic nervous system.Spinal cord – structure. Reflex action,
reflex arc, monosynaptic and polysynaptic reflexes , inverse stretch reflex and golgi tendon
organ.
Special senses Vision: Structure of eyeball Fluid systems of the eye Layers of Retina and
photoreceptors (rods & cones) Neuronal cell types and neural circuitary of the retina and
visual pathways from retina to visual cortex Image formation Taste: Primary sensations of
taste. Taste buds, Physiology of taste , Smell: Olfactory membrane and receptor cells
Physiology of olfaction, Tactile response: Mechanoreceptor, Pain receptors , . Thermal
receptors, Formation of image on the retina. A brief general account of electrophysiology of
vision Photochemistry of vision and colour vision
Cardiovascular system : Structural organization of myogenic heart (in human beings).
Physiological anatomy of cardiac muscle – specialized tissue. Cardiac cycle. Neural and
chemical regulation of heartfunction. Blood volume and blood pressure. Physiological
anatomy of coronary blood flow, Ischemic heart disease. Lymphatic System. Lymph
channels of the body. Composition and formation of lymph. Functions of lymph and
lymphatic system including.
Muscle physiology, Skeletal, Smooth and Cardiac muscles , physiology of muscle
contraction, muscle proteins, molecular mechanism of muscle contraction, muscle twitch,
rigor mortis, summation.
Endocrinology: Invertebrate and vertebrate endocrine system. Endocrine glands. Synthesis,
physiologic role, control and mechanisms of hormone action. Neuro-endocrine regulation of
hormone action. Disorders of hormonal imbalance in Man.
Reproductive physiology: Anatomy and histology of adult testis and ovary. Reproductive
cycles of mammals and their hormonal control. Physiology of implantation, pregnancy,
parturition, and lactation.
Environmental Physiology: Thermoregulation. Comfort zone, normal body temperatures
(oral, skin & core). Temperature regulating mechanism ( hot & cold) , role of
hypothalamus, thyroid and adrenal glands.
IMMUNOLOGY
Hematopoiesis – Lymphoid and myeloid lineages. Hematopoietic growth factors. Genes
that regulate hematopoiesis. Regulation of hematopoiesis. B- Lymphocytes, T- lymphocytes
and Antigen presenting cells. Antigens Immunogenicity, Antigenicity. Factors that influence
immunogenicity. Adjuvants. Haptens. Epitopes. Properties of B-cell and T- cell epitopes.
Immunoglobulins (Antibodies) Structure and function of Antibody molecules. Generation of
Antibody diversity. Immunoglobulin gene. Antigenic determinants of immunoglobulin – (a)
Isotype (b) Allotype (c) Idiotype. B-cell receptor (BCR). Monoclonal Antibodies.
Production of Monoclonal Antibodies (Hybridoma technology). Clinical uses of Monoclonal
Antibodies. Antibody Engineering. Antigen- Antibody interactions Strength of antigen –
antibody interactions. (a) Antibody affinity (b) Antibody avidity. Cross- reactivity.
Precipitation reactions. Immunotechnics – ELISA, RIA, Western Blot,
Immunoelectrophoresis, Flow cytometry and fluorescence .Humoral immunity. Cellular
immunity. T- Cell receptor, TCR-CD3 complex. Activation, maturation and
differentiation of B-Cells and T-Cells. Immune effector mechanism. Cytokines.
Cytokine antagonists. Cytokine secretion by TH1 and TH2-cells.Cytokine related diseases.
(a) Bacterial septic- shock (b) chaga‟s disease) (c) lymphoid and myeloid cancers.
Therapeutic uses of cytokines. Toll- like receptors.
The Complement system. The functions of complement components. Complement
activation (a) Classical pathway (b) Alternate pathway (c) Lectin pathway. Regulation of
complement system. Biological consequences of complement activation. Complement
deficiencies. Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) General organization and
inheritance of MHC. MHC molecules and genes. Cellular distribution of MHC. Antigenprocessing and presentation-Exogenous and Endogenous pathways. Presentation of nonpeptide antigens. Transplantation immunology Auto graft, Allograft, Isograft and
xenograft Immunological basis of graft rejection. Role of cell- mediated responses.
Transplantation antigens. General immune suppressive therapy. Hypersensitivity Reactions.
Allergens IgE- mediated (type- I) hypersensitivity. Antibody- mediated cytotoxic (type- II)
hypersensitivity. Immune complex- mediated (type- III) hypersensitivity.
TDTH- mediated (type- IV) hypersensitivity Vaccines.: Active and passive immunization.
Whole organism vaccines. Recombinant vector vaccines. DNA vaccines. Synthetic peptide
vaccines. Multivalent vaccines. Immunity and malnutrition and immune deficiency diseases.
Immunity and malnutrition. Primary immune deficiency diseases. (a)Burton‟s disease
(b) Di-George syndrome and SCID. Secondary immune deficiency – AIDS. Transmission of
HIV. Vaccines to prevent AIDS. Autoimmunity
MODULE V (10 Marks)
CELL BIOLOGY, MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS
CELL BIOLOGY
Cellular Membranes: Membrane structure and chemistry, dynamic nature of the plasma
membrane, membrane functions, Diffusion and osmosis, Facilitated diffusion,
Active transport, Bulk transport. Nucleus and nuclear membrane membrane potentials,
ion channels.
Cell junctions: Cell adhesion and Extracellular matrix Basal membrane and laminin,
Collagen, Proteoglycan, Fibronectin. Interaction of cells with extracellular matrix: Integrins.
Focal adhesion and hemidesmosomes. Interaction of cells with other cells: Selectins,
Immunoglobulins, Cadherins, Adherens. Junctions and desmosomes. Tight junctions, Gap
junctions and Plasmodesmata.
Structural organization and function of intracellular organelles: Endoplasmic reticulum,
Golgi complex, Ribosome, Mitochondria. Lysosome, Chloroplasts, Peroxisomes and
Glyoxysomes
Organization of chromosomes and genes.: Structure of chromatin and chromosomes,
heterochromatin, euchromatin –unique and repetitive DNA. Chromosomal changeseuploidy, aneuploidy, chromosomal aberrations- Structural alterations-gene mutationsmolecularchanges- deletion, duplication, translocation, inversion and sister chromatid
exchange. Interrupted genes and gene families. Concept of gene-Allele, multiple
alleles, pseudoallele, complementation tests. Extrachromosomal inheritance- inheritance of
mitochondrial and chloroplast genes, maternal inheritance.
Cell Signalling: Basic principles of cell communication. Extracellular messengers
(signalling molecules), role of Calcium and Nitric oxide (NO) as intracellular and
intercellular messengers. Receptors: G- Protein coupled receptors, Receptor tyrosine kinases
(RTK), Ion channel receptors, Cytokine receptors (Tyrosine kinase linked receptors).Second
messengers: Cyclic-AMP, Cyclic-GMP, Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), Di-acyl glycerol
(DAG). Signalling pathways: G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) and cyclic AMP pathway
– role of protein kinase A (PKA), GPCR pathway in rod cells, Receptor protein tyrosine
kinase and Ras-MAP kinase pathway, JAK-STAT pathway, Calcium phosphatidyl- inositol
pathway, Phospho Inositide 3-kinase (PI3 kinase),Transforming growth factor (TGF)
signaling pathway. Regulation of signaling pathways.
Cellular Reproduction: Cell cycle: Mitosis, meiosis and Structure of chromosomes, Control
of cell cycle, Checkpoints in cell cycle. Control of cell division and cell growth. Apoptosisextrinsic and intrinsic pathways, significance.
Cancer: Basic properties of a cancer cell, Types of cancer, Causes of cancer, Genetics of
cancer, Tumour suppressor gene, Oncogene. New strategies for combating cancer:
Immunotherapy, Gene therapy, Inhibiting cancer promoting proteins, Inhibiting formationof
new blood vessels.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
DNA replication: Semi-discontinuous synthesis-Okazaki fragments Replication origin and
replication fork Unit of replication, extra chromosomal replicon of bacterial Ti plasmid
Enzymes/proteins of replication- Primase, Replisomes, Helicase, DNA polymerases, Single
strand binding proteins, Topoisomerases and Ligase; Fidelity of replication Replication of
the ends of eukaryotic chromosome – role of telomerase, Models of DNA replication –
Rolling circle model and looped rolling circle model, D-loop model, θ-model, Inhibitors of
DNA replication – Methotrexate and Flu rodeoxyuridylate
Safe guard systems of DNA. Restriction enzymes: significance, role and features of Type I,
II & III restriction enzymes Modification: enzymes and significance Repair: Major kinds of
damage to DNA and causes Repair mechanisms: Direct reversal, Mismatch repair, Excision
repair, Recombination repair, SOS response
Transcription of mRNA in prokaryotes and eukaryotes: Structural organisation and life span
of mRNA; monocistronic and polycistronic mRNA Transcription in prokaryotes and
eukaryotes, Promoter (mention Pribnow, TATA, CAAT and GC box), enhancer and silencer
sites, Transcription factors; Transcription activators and repressors, Characteristic features
of RNA polymerases of phages, prokaryotes and eukaryotes and their functions, Post
transcriptional modification of RNA, Capping, Polyadenylation, Splicing, RNA editing
Genetic code: Characteristics of genetic code, Start codons and stop codons, Degeneracy of
the code: Wobble hypothesis and isoacceptor tRNAs, Special features of the genetic code in
mitochondria, mitochondrial tRNA, Variations in the genetic code in Mycoplasma and
Tetrahyme Point mutations that alter genetic code (missense, nonsense & frameshift)
Ribosome: The site of protein synthesis: Structure, Composition; Reconstitution
experiments . Active centres Biogenesis of ribosome in eukaryotes
Translation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes: Aminoacylation of tRNA & initiation,
elongation and termination of protein synthesis Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases & initiation,
elongation and termination factors Translational proof-reading Differences in protein
synthesis between prokaryotes and eukaryotes Translational inhibitors in prokaryotes and
eukaryotes – role of tetracycline, streptomycin, neomycin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin,
puromycin and diphtheria toxin Post- translational modification of proteins: protein folding
(role of chaperones) and biochemical modifications
Control of gene expression at transcription and translation level:: Regulation of gene
expression in Phages – alternate patterns of gene expression for control of lytic and
lysogenic cycle in λ phage Regulation of gene expression in bacteria – basic features of
tryptophan, lac, arabinose and galactose operons Regulation of gene expression in
eukaryotes – Role of chromatin in regulating gene expression Activation and repression of
transcription Regulation of translation by gene arrangement Regulation of translation by
alternate pathways of transcript splicing Antisense RNA strategies for regulating gene
expression si RNA and mi RNA in regulation
Eukaryotic genome: Special features of eukaryotic genome Features, components and
re-association kinetics of Unique, Moderately repetitive and High repetitive DNA Junk
DNA, Satellite DNA and Selfish DNA, Cot value and complexity of genome, Organisation
of human genome
Interrupted genes: Definition and explanation: Organisation and special features of
interrupted genes Interrupted genes in eukaryotes, exons and introns-R loops, significance of
introns. Genes-within-genes (overlapping genes) Bacteriophage Ö X174., Evolution of
interrupted genes Gene families: Definition and concept, Classification with example,
Simple multigene family – organisation of rRNA gene in Xenopus.
Complex multigene family – organisation of histone genes in sea urchin and tRNA genes in
Drosophila Developmentally controlled complex multigene family e.g., globin gene Globin
genes and its products, Organisation of globin genes and its expression in Man, Evolution of
globin genes
Concept of an evolutionary clock, Pseudogenes, Transposable genetic elements –
Transposons: Definition, features and types Transposition and mechanism, Transposons in
bacteria
IS elements, Tn family Mu phage as a transposable element Transposons in eukaryotes.
SINE, Alu family ;LINE,L1 P elements in Drosophila, Transposons in Maize, Retroviruses
and transposition
Molecular mechanisms involved in recombination of DNA : Genetic recombination – Site
specific recombination Non-homologous recombination Homologous recombination:
Molecular mechanism involved in homologous recombination of DNA in eukaryotesHolliday model: Holliday intermediate, heteroduplex DNA, gene conversion Role of
Rec A protein in genetic recombination
Microbial genetics: Prokaryotic genome- Escherichia coli genome – basic feature Methods
of genetic transfers in bacteria– transformation (in Streptococcus pneumonia), conjugation
and sexduction, transduction. Mapping genes by interrupted mating (in bacteria) Organelle
genome: Chloroplast genome. Mitochondrial genome, Special features of yeast and human
mitocondrial genome.
BIOINFORMATICS
Primary databases – Nucleotide sequence databases: GenBank, EMBL, DDBJ ; Protein
sequence databases: SWISSPROT, PIR; Structure databases: PDB, NDB; Secondary
databases: PROSITE, Pfam, CATH; Composite databases: OWL; Literature database:
PubMed; Database searching – Entrez; Database sequence submission – BankIt. Types of
sequence alignment, methods of sequence alignment, scoring schemes, gaps and gap
penalties, construction of phylogenetic trees. Structural genomics, functional genomics,
comparative genomics, data mining in proteomics – Microarrays, significance of proteomics
and drug design, Systems Biology, metabolomics, gene network, synthetic biology
MODULE VI (10 Marks)
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY AND GENETICS DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
Basic concepts of development Cell fate, potency, determination and differentiation.
Commitment, Specification – autonomous, conditional, syncytial . Genomic equivalence and
cytoplasmic determinants, Morphogenetic gradients, Genomic Imprinting, The stem cell
concept- Progenitor cells, Adult stem cells, Mesenchymal stem cells, Multipotent adult stem
cells, Pluripotent Embryonic stem cells, Induction, Competence, Determination and
Differentiation, Morphogenetic gradients, Cell fate and cell lineages.Genomic equivalence
and Cytoplasmic determinants.
Gametogenesis, fertilization and early development: Production of gametesSpermatogenesis and Oogenesis, Ultrastructure of gamates, Cell surface molecules in
sperm-egg recognition in animals (sea urchin and mammals) Zygote formation-Encounter of
sperm and egg, Capacitation, Acrosome reaction, Activation of ovum, Amphimixis,
Prevention of Polyspermy Cleavage and blastula formation, Gastrulation and formation of
germ layers in amphibia,
Embryogenesis and Organogenesis : Axis formation in amphibians – The phenomenon of the
Organizer- Nieuwkoop center., primary embryonic induction, mechanism of axis
formation, Anterior-Posterior patterning in Amphibians- Hox code hypothesis Anterior
posterior patterning in Drosophila – anterior forming genes (bicoid, hunchback), posterior
forming genes (nanos, caudal), terminal forming gene (torso), segmentation genes- gap
genes, pair rule genes, segmentation polarity genes, homeotic selector genes, realistor genes
Dorso-ventral patterning in Drosophila. –dorsal protein gradient Limb development in
chick- Formation of the Limb Bud, Generating the Proximal-Distal Axis of the Limb,
Specification of the Anterior-Posterior, Limb Axis, Generation of the Dorsal-Ventral Axis.
Insect wings and legs formation. Eye lens induction.
Transcription factors induced in the organizer. Neural induction, Regional specificity of
induction, Genetic specificity of induction (Paracrine factors – Hedgehog family, Wnt
family, TGF, BMP). Surface receptors and signal transduction pathway – RTK pathway,
Smad pathway, Wnt pathway, Hedgehog pathway and cell death pathway.
Differential gene transcription – exons and introns, promotors, silencers, enhancers,
transcription factors, DNA methylation, genomic imprinting, dosage compensation,
differential RNA processing; Control of gene expression: translational and post translational
control of gene expression.
Metamorphosis of Amphibians and Insects; Hormonal control of metamorphosis.
Heterochrony- neoteny, progenesis; regeneration – different types of regeneration;
Histological processes during regeneration; Polarity and Metaplasia in regeneration;
Teratogenesis, Malformations and disruptions, Gene – phene relationship, Autophene,
Allophene and Pleiotrophy;
Teratogenic agents (Retinoic acid, pathogens, alcohol, drugs and chemicals, heavy metals);
Environmental oestrogens. Infertility-Test tube babies (In vitro fertilization and embryo
transfer). Cloning experiments- (Amphibians, Mammals and Human).
GENETICS
Principles of Genetic Transmission: Mendelian Principles, Extension of Mendel’s principles:
allelic variation and gene function- incomplete dominance and co-dominance. Gene
action- from genotype to phenotype – penetrance and expressivity, gene interaction epistasis,
pleiotropy, genomic imprinting, phenocopy.
Molecular Organization of Chromosomes. Sex determination, sex linkage, sex limited and
sex influenced characters in Man Genome size and C-value Paradox. Structure of eukaryotic
chromosome, nucleosome model. Chromosome condensation – euchromatin and
heterochromatin. Repetitive nucleotide sequences in eukaryotic genomes, kinetics of
renaturation: Cot and Cot curve. Unique and repetitive sequences. Mini and micro
satellites. Molecular structure of centromere and telomere. Polytene chromosomes and
Lampbrush chromosomes. Chromosome banding techniques.
Gene Fine Structure: The definition of gene. The standard genetic code, redundancy and
Wobble.DNA Structure- alternate forms of the Double Helix. Gene synthesis (in vitro
synthesis) – works of Khorana and Kornberg.
Genetic Linkage, Chromosome Mapping. Chromosome theory of heredity, Linkage and
recombination of genes in a chromosome, crossing over as the physical basis of
recombination, Gene conversion, Recombination mapping with two-point and three –point
test cross in Drosophila, Coincidence and Interference. Genetic mapping by tetrad analysis
in Neurospora. Mitotic recombination. Genetic recombination in Phage, deletion mapping,
conjugation mapping, mapping by interrupted mating, mapping with molecular markers and
mapping using somatic cell.
Human Genetics: Karyotype, pedigree analysis, Chromosome anomalies : autosomal and
sex chromosomal disorders. Lod score for linkage testing, genetic analysis of complex traits
complex pattern of inheritance, quantitative traits, threshold traits; human genome and
mapping.
Epigenetics: Epigenetics – from phenomenon to field, a brief history of epigenetics – over
view and concepts; chromatin modifications and their mechanism of action, concept of
‘histone-code’ hypothesis, epigenetics in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, position effect
variegation, heterochromatin formation and gene silencing in Drosophila.
Quantitative and Population Genetics: Polygenic inheritance, analysis of quantitative traits,
quantitative traits and natural selection, molecular analysis of quantitative traits, phenotypic
plasticity
MODULE VII (10 Marks)
ECOLOGY, BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
ECOLOGY
Ecology and Environment: Concepts of habitats, niche, niche width and overlap,
fundamental and realized niche, resource partitioning, character displacement. Gaia
hypothesis. Concept of limiting factors- Liebig’s law, Shelford’s law. Ecological
indicators.
Ecosystem – Structure and Function. Food chain, food web, trophic levels. Ecological
efficiencies, Ecological pyramids, Biogeochemical cycles- patterns and types (CNP).
Tropical versus Temperate Ecology.
Population Ecology: Population group properties, Natality and mortality. Population age
structure, Growth forms and concept of carrying capacity. Population fluctuations, density
dependent and density independent controls. Life history strategies, r & k selection.
Population structure, aggregation, Allee’s principle, isolation, dispersal and territoriality,
survivalship curves, life tables, Population interactions- types, positive and negative,
interspecific and intraspecific interactions. Ecological and evolutionary effects of
competition, Lotka Volterra model,
Community Ecology: Concept of community – community structure and attributes, ecotone
and edge effect. Ecological succession: types and mechanism, concept of climax. Species
diversity in community and it’s measurement Alpha diversity, Simpson’s diversity index,
Shannon index, Fisher’s alpha, rarefaction. Beta diversity Sorensen’s similarity index,
Whittaker’s index, Evenness, Gamma diversity,
Resource Ecology: Natural Resources: Soil-soil formation, physical and chemical
properties of soil. significance of soil fertility. Mineral resources with reference to India.
Impact of mining on environment; Forest resources deforestation, forest scenario of India.
Aquatic resources – Freshwater and water scarcity, water conservation measures – case
studies from India; Wetlands and its importance, international initiatives for wetland
conservation – Ramsar sites. Sand mining and its impacts. Wetland reclamation- causes and
consequences.
Ecosystem monitoring- GIS, Physics of remote sensing, role of remote sensing in ecology,
GPS and its application; EIA- tools and techniques, Ecosystem Modelling.
Applied Ecology: Environmental Pollution-types, causes and consequences. Concept of
waste, types and sources of solid wastes including e-waste; Environmental biotechnology
and solid waste management- aerobic and anaerobic systems. Concept of bioreactors in
waste management. Liquid wastes and sewage. Bioremediation- need and scope of
bioremediation in cleaning up of environment. Phytoremediation, bio-augmentation,
biofilms, biofilters, bioscrubbers and trickling filters, Energy audit, Green technology and
sustainable development, ecological foot print, carbon foot print, carbon credit, ecotaxes
Deforestation- surface albedo- snow and ice- volcanic activity-dust particles- Greenhouse
gas concentrations -Atmosphere- ocean heat exchange-Atmospheric carbon dioxide
Variations- human influences: Global climate changes – causes and consequences. Physical
evidence for climatic change – Historical and archaeological evidence-Glaciers – Vegetation
Ice cores – Dendron climatology- Pollen analysis-Sea level change
Toxicology- Principles, toxicants- types, dose and effects, toxicity of heavy metals.
BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
Biogeography and Conservation. Principles and major approaches to conservation and
environmental management. Role of UN- conventions, protocols; Climate change and the
emerging discussions mitigation and adaptation; Role of UNFCC and IPCC. Country
specific laws- mention major environmental/ conservation laws and rules in India-Wildlife
Protection Act 1972 amended 1991, Forest Conservation Act, 1980, Air ( Prevention and
Control of Pollution) Act 1981, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Role of
Intergovernmental and Non-governmental organizations in conservation-IUCN,
WCMC,WRI,WWF, CI and Green Peace. National and Local NGOs.
MODULE VIII (10 Marks)
MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
MICROBIOLOGY
History and scope of microbiology: Contributions of Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch, Alexander
Flemming and Edward Jenner.
Microbial Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Major characteristics (classic and molecular),
Numerical taxonomy, Taxonomic ranks, Phylogenetic studies, Phenetic classification,
Bergey‟s Manuel
Bacterial cell structure and function, Plasma membrane and internal system – Cytometrix,
inclusions, ribosomes, nucleoid
Bacterial cell wall Peptidoglycan – structure- Gram positive and gram negative cell wallMechanism of gram staining, Components external to cell wall; pili and fimbriae, capsule
and slime layers, Flagella and motility
Microbial nutrition: Nutritional requirements, Nutritional types (Auto, Hetero, Chemo,
Phototrophs & obligate parasites), Culture media and types of media. Mixed microbial
population and pure cultures.
Microbial growth: Growth curve -synchronous growth, Continuous culture, Influence of
environmental factors on growth, Measurement of growth, Measurement of cell numbersPetroff, Hassuer counting Chamber, Spread plate and pour plate techniques Measurement of
cell mass-Turbidity and microbial mass measurement
Utilization of energy: Biosynthetic process- peptidoglycan synthesis, amino acid synthesis,
Non synthetic processes -Bacterial motility and transport of nutrients.
Viruses: General structural properties, Types: DNA viruses, RNA viruses, and enveloped
viruses
Microbial diseases : Human diseases caused by viruses- AIDS, Rabies, Measles, Swine Flu,
Bird flu, SARS, Fungal diseases- Candidiasis, Human diseases caused by bacteriaTyphoid, Cholera, Tetanus, Leprosy, Tuberculosis and Pneumonia.
Control of microorganisms: Disinfectants- physical- Heat, filtration and radiation
Chemical agents – Phenol and Phenolic compounds, alcohols, halogens and aldehydes.
Antibiotics- Penicillin , Cephalosporins, Chloramphenicol, Tetracyclines. Microbial drug
resistance.
Microbial fermentation: Lactic acid fermentation-Homolactic and heterolactic fermenters,
Dairy products -cheese and yogurt . Alcoholic fermentation.
Environmental microbiology: Microbiological analysis of drinking water. Microbial
Bioremediation. Biogas plant.
BIOTECHNOLOGY
Historical aspects, definitions and scope of Biotechnology. Biotechnology in India. Tools
and Techniques in Recombinant DNA Technology: Vectors: cloning and expression vectors –
Plasmids, Ti and Ri plasmids, cosmids, phasmids, phagemids, bacteriophage, SV40, vectors
with combination features; PUC19 and Bluescript vectors, shuttle vectors, viral vectors,
BAC and YAC vectors. Restriction enzymes and DNA modifying enzymes. Polymerase
chain Reaction- different types and applications. Chromosome walking, chromosome
jumping, DNA foot printing. Molecular Markers and Probes-SNP, VNTR, RAPD, RFLP,
SSR, STMS, FISH and GISH. DNA sequencing methods- Maxim and Gilberts chemical
degradation method, Sanger and Cousin method, Automated DNA sequencers.
Site directed mutagenesis, molecular chimeras. Cloning Methodologies – Gene isolation Shot gun
method, Genome libraries, cDNA libraries, Chemical synthesis. Splicing and integration of
isolated gene- cohesive end ligation, homopolymer tailing, extending linkers. Methods of
rDNA transfer to host cells- CaCl2 treatment, Virus delivery. Selection and screening
of the transformed cells, Blue-white screening, Colony hybridization methods, Reporter
genes, Fusion proteins. Southern, Northern, Western, Dot Blot, DNA finger printing.
Animal Biotechnology: Cell and Tissue culture: Basic techniques of mammalian cell
culture, disaggregation of tissue and primary culture, maintenance of cell culture and cell
separation. Growth media: Physicochemical properties, natural and artificial, Balanced salt
solutions, Complete Media, Serum, Serum-Free Media and protein free media and their
applications. Biology and characterization of cultured cells, measurement of viability and
cytotoxicity. Manipulation of cultured cell and tissues- scaling up of animal cell culture, cell
synchronization, cell transformation, organ and histotypic culture. Tissue engineering:
strategies and developments in tissue engineering, Biomaterials. Contamination: Source of
contamination, Type of microbial contamination, Monitoring, Eradication of contamination,
Cross-Contamination. Cryopreservation – importance and process of cryopreservation,
cryopreservation of embryos, Cryogenics. Transfection Methods: CaPO4 precipitation,
Short Gun, Electroporation, Lipofection, Microinjection, Agrobacterium mediated gene
transfer. Somatic cell nuclear transfer- reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning.
Gene knockout and knockin technology. Applications of transgenic animals. Stem cell culture :
General and historical aspects, properties and types of stem cells, advantages and
disadvantages, stem cell niche, application of stem cell technology in medicine.
Biotechnology in Healthcare: Disease prevention – DNA vaccines. Disease diagnosis –
Probes, Monoclonal antibodies, detection of genetic disorders. Disease treatment –
Therapeutic proteins, hormones and growth factors. RNAi, Drug targeting, Gene therapy.
Forensic medicine. Biosensors-different types, applications – medical and non medical.
Biochips and their application.
Biotechnology in Industry and Agriculture: Metabolite production. Antibiotics, Organic
acids, Amino acids, Vitamins, Upstream processing, downstream processing. Microbial
enzymes and biotranformation- Microbial production of enzymes, fermentation, Enzyme
engineering and applications. Food industry- Single cell protein, probiotics. Transgenic
plants- Plants with resistance to Pests, plants with increased shelf life. Biofertilizers and
microbial inoculants, biotechnology of nitrogen fixation, biocontrol agents, biopesticides,
bioinsecticides, Terminator gene technology
Environmental Biotechnology : Sewage treatment. Solid waste management.
Biodegradation of xenobiotic compounds. Bioremediation and Biorestoration.
Microbial leaching and mining. Biofuels. Transgenics and environment.
Intellectual Property Rights, Biosafety and Bioethics: Introduction to Intellectual
Property Rights, Types of IP: Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights. Basics of Patents
Types of
patents; Indian Patent Act 1970; Recent Amendments, Protection of New GMOs. IPs of
relevance to Biotechnology and few Case Studies (Rice, Neem, Curcumin). Introduction to
History of GATT, WTO, WIPO and TRIPS. Biosafety concepts and issues. General
guidelines for recombinant DNA research activity. Biosafety protocol 2000. Bioethics:
Principles of bioethics: autonomy, human rights, beneficence, privacy, justice, equity etc.
Ethics in post genomic era-genetic testing and genetic screening.
MODULE IX (10 Marks)
ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY, ENTOMOLOGY, FISHERIES, WILDLIFE BIOLOGY AND HUMAN GENETICS
Insect pests of agricultural crops, control measures, economically important insects,
Common Aquaculture practices, culture fishes, classification of fish, ornamental fishes,
chromosomal anomalies in human, inborn errors in metabolism, molecular diagnosis
techniques, classification of mammals, endemic Indian birds,
MODULE X (10 Marks)
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN ZOOLOGY
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