Scope and importance of
biochemistry and molecular biology in plants. Structural and functional
organization of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, viruses and bacteriophages,
cell organelles function and their fractionation. Chemical bonding in
biological systems, pH and buffers. Thermodynamics and bioenergetics- concept
of entropy, and free energy changes in biological reactions, Redox reactions,
Role of high energy phosphates. Biomembranes. Classification structure,
chemistry, properties and function of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and
nucleic acids. Components of immune system, Prostaglandins.
Unit 2: Intermediary
Metabolism
Anabolism, catabolism and
their regulation. Metabolism of carbohydrates – glycolitic pathway, HMP
pathway, TCA cycle, glyoxylate pathway and gluconeogenesis. Biological
oxidationelectron transfer and oxidative phosphorylation. Lipid metabolism,
degradation and biosynthesis of fatty acids, ketogenesis and causes of ketosis.
Biosynthesis of sterols and phospholipids. Amino acid metabolism – catabolism
of amino acids, transamination and deamination, urea cycle, biosyntheisis of
amino acids. Conversion of amino acids into bioactive compounds. Metabolism of
nucleic acids-degradation and biosynthesis of purines, pyrimidines and
nucleotides. Integration of carbohydrate, lipid and amino acid metabolism.
Signal transduction mechanisms. Role of G-proteins, cyclic nucleotides and
calcium in transduction. Disorders of lipid, carbohydrate, nucleic acid, amino
acid metabolism. Inborn errors of metabolism. Secondary metabolites,
biotransfermation and over expression.
Unit 3: Enzymes,
Vitamins and Hormones
Major classes of enzymes,
general properties, kinetics, active site and its mapping, activation energy
and transition state. Mechanisms of enzyme action, inhibition and activation.
Coenzymes and cofactors. Isoenzymes and immobilized enzymes. Regulation of
enzyme activity, allosteric regulation. Multi substrate reactions, kinetic
experiments to determine the mechanism of multi substrate reactions. Isolation,
purification and measurement of enzyme activity. Enzyme units. Enzyme
engineering. Role of enzymes in agriculture, industry, and medicine. Structure,
mode of action and metabolic functions of vitamins. Deficiency diseases
associated with vitamins. General description of nature hormones and disorders
associated with endocrine glands, viz. pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, pancreas
and gonads. Peptide and steroid hormones. Phyto hormones – auxins,
gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene, abscisic acid and new plant bio-regulators
like SA, Brassino of.
Unit 4: Molecular
Biology
Structure of DNA and RNA
Replication, transcription and translation. Post-transcriptional and
translational modifications. Transcriptional and translation control of
prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Features of genetic code in prokaryotes and
eukaryotes. Gene expression – operon model, induction and repression, control
of gene expression in prokaryotes and eykaryotes. Chloroplant and Mitochondrial
genomes. Replication of viruses. Mutagens, oncogenes and carcinogenesis.
General principles of recombinant DNA technology, restriction enzymes. Methods
of gene transfer-plasmid and viruses as vectors, DNA and protein sequence
analysis, oligonucleotide synthesis, genomic and cDNA library construction,
site-directed mutagenesis, tagging, chromosome walking. Basics of genome
organization and mapping, functional genomics. Gene silencing. Methods for the
development of transgenic organisms. Computer application in molecular biology,
primer designing, sequence analysis and phylogenetic analysis. Benefits of gene
manipulation in agriculture, nanobiotechnology, biochips.
Unit 5: Techniques in
Biochemistry
Principles of optical,
phase contrast, fluorescence and electron microscopy, spectrophotometry, UV and
VIS, fluorimetry, turbidometry and atomic absorption spectrophotometry.
Radioisotopic techniques – scintillation counters and autoradiography and their
application in biological sciences. Flectrophoresis - general principles and
application, gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing, pulsed field gel
electrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis. Chromatographic techniques - paper,
thin layer, column chromatography, GC and HPLC. Centrifugation - principles of
sedimentation in various rotors, differential centrifugation, density gradient
centrifugation and ultracentrifugation. Cell tissue and organ culture.
Cryopreservation, PCR and application of RFLP, RAPD, AFLP, microsatellite and
mitochondrial and ribotyping techniques. Southern, Northern and Western
blotting, ELISA. Microarray and DNA chips. Preliminary methods of statistical
analysis as applied to agricultural data – standard deviation, standard error,
ANOVA, correlation and regression.
Unit 6: Biochemistry of
Food-grains, Fruits and Vegetables
Fundamentals of nutrition,
concept of balanced diet. Nutritional quality of protein and its evaluation.
Dietary fibre. Vitamins- biochemical functions and deficiency diseases. Fats
and lipids-types of fatty acids and their significance in health. Biochemical
composition and food value of various food grains (including cereals, pulses,
oil seeds), fruits and vegetables. Biochemistry of fruit ripening, biochemical
aspects of post harvest technology, storage and preservation. Biochemical basis
of quality improvement of food grains, vegetables and fruits. Antioxidants,
nutraceticals. Food toxins and anti-metabolites, food additives, storage
proteins.
Unit 7: Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis –
photosynthetic pigments, light reactions, photosystems. Photophosphorylation,
dark reactions: C3, C4 and CAM pathways. Regulation of Rubisco. Chemisomotic
coupling. Carbon cycle and its regulation, Ion fluxes and conformational
changes during photosynthesis. Photorespiration. Relationship between
photosynthesis, photorespiration and crop productivity. Chloroplasm morphology,
structure and biochemical anatomy. Cytosolic and organelle interactions. Nature
and exchange of metabolites through translocators. Seed reserve biosynthesis.
Unit 8: Plant Metabolic
Processes
Uptake and metabolism of
mineral nutrients in plants. Sulphur metabolism. Nitrogen cycle, nitrate and
nitrite reduction, denitrification, symbiotic and non-symbiotic nitrogen
fixation. Biochemical and physiological role of hydrogenase. Chemoautrotrophy
in rhizobia and nitrifying bacteria. Cell cycle. Growth regulation in plants.
Signal transduction and phytohormones. Molecular mechanisms of plant growth,
hormone action. Role of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides in cellular
metabolism. Metabolism of cyanogenic glycosides and glucosinolates.
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Unit 9: Plant Molecular
Biology
General organization of
nuclear, mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes. Genomics and functional
genomics. Tissue specific expression of genes. Molecular biology of various
stresses – drought, salinity and temperature. Signal transduction and its
molecular basis: molecular mechanism of plant hormone action. Structure,
organization and regulation of nuclear genes. Genes involved in photosynthesis
and nitrogen fixation. Regulation of chloroplast gene expression. Mitochondrial
control of fertility. Molecular markers in plants and their uses.
Unit 10: Plant
Biotechnology / Genetic Engineering
Totipotency, application
of tissue culture for plant improvement, cryopreservation. Protoplasm fusion.
General principles of gene cloning. Isolation and characterization of plant
genes and promoters. Different methods of gene transfer –direct and
vectormediated. Gene silencing. Site directed mutagenesis. Molecular analysis
of transformants. Potential applications of plant genetic engineering for crop
improvement – insect-pest resistance (insect, viral, fungal and bacterial
diseases). Abiotic stress tolerance, herbicide resistance, storage protein
quality improvement,increasing shelf- life, oil quality. Biosafety and IPR
issues.
Tags:
ARS MAIN
DISCIPLINE; BIO-CHEMISTRY SYLLABUS (plant sciences)
Genetic Engineering
Intermediary Metabolism
Photosynthesis
Plant Molecular Biology
Techniques in Biochemistry
