BINC Biology Syllabus – Basic
Cell Biology
Basic aspects of Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells (plant and animal cells); membranes and cellular compartments, cell organelles, structure and function
Cell motility and shape: cytoskeletal elements, cilia and flagella; motor proteins
Cell-cell interactions: Intercellular junctions
Photosynthesis, transportation of proteins in cells, transpiration, Electron transport chain
Cell cycle and its regulation; events during mitosis and meiosis
Genetics
Mendelian principles of inheritance, sex linked inheritance
Concept of linkage, linkage maps and recombination
Mutations – molecular, point and chromosomal mutations, hotspots
Phenotype and genotype relationships, role of environment, from gene to phenotype, gene interactions. Study of quantitative traits
Genetics of populations, genetics and evolution
Immunology
Immune systems: Innate and adaptive immunity in vertebrates
Antigen processing and presentation
Antibodies: Immunoglobulins, Immunoglobulin classes and subclasses, CDR and LDR regions and sequence numbering
Concepts of generation of diversity and specificity in immune system; Immunological methods
Molecular Biology
Prokaryotic genome organization and structure
Prokaryotic gene expression, factors involved in gene regulation
Eukaryotic genome organization and structure, Mechanism of gene expression in Eukaryotes, Basic mechanism of transcription and translation
Mechanisms by which genome undergoes changes, recombination, mutation, inversion, duplication, transposition
Biochemistry
Carbohydrates and lipids, their importance in cells
Proteins: Amino acids and their physiocochemical properties, peptide bond and peptides
Nucleic acids: nucleosides, nucleotides, RNA and DNA. Denaturation and renaturation of DNA
Enzymes: Units of activity, coenzymes and metal cofactors, temperature and pH effects, Michaelis-Menten kinetics, inhibitors and activators, active site
Organization of metabolic systems: enzyme chains, multienzyme complexes, multifunctional enzymes and regulatory enzymes
Concept of biochemical regulation, feed back and feed forward systems, biochemical oscillations