REVISED SYLLABUS FOR T Y B Sc Microbiology

2005-06 Onwards

The syllabus will come into effect from the academic year 2004-05.

Students opting for 6 Units of Microbiology (Major) at T Y B Sc level will study Papers I, II, III, IV of 100 marks each and 4 practicals based on these papers of 50 marks each.

Students opting for 3 Units of Microbiology at T Y B Sc level will study Papers I & II of 100 marks each and 2 practicals based on these papers of 50 marks each.

Paper wise Units Summary

* Note: Each Unit is of 30 lectures
 

Paper I -   Genetics, Molecular Biology and Virology               [120]

                                                                                   I.      Foundations of Genetics                                            [90]

A.        Introduction                                                                                                (02)

1.      Review of relevant topics studied at FY & SY level: Mendelian genetics, Genetic information, DNA structure & function (for ensuring continuity of the subject,  objective / subjective test may be conducted for checking retention and preparedness of students)

2.      Branches of Genetics: Classical, Molecular, Population, Quantitative, Transmission & Evolutionary Genetics

3.      Model organisms in the study of genetics

4.      Applications of  Genetics in medicine , forensics, agriculture and industry

B.       Chromosome structure                                                                             (05)

1.      Physical properties, organization of DNA in chromosomes, methods used for study

2.      Prokaryotic (Bacterial) chromosome:

                                                   i.   Circularity,

                                                 ii.   One replication origin,

                                                iii.   Basic proteins in bacterial chromosome

3.      Eukaryotic chromosome

                                                   i.   Physical properties, concept of linkage groups, linearity of the chromosome

                                                 ii.   chromatin structure, euchromatin, heterochromatin

                                                iii.   role of histones & non histone proteins

                                               iv.   Structure of condensed chromatin

                                                 v.   nucleosomes, centromere, kinetochores, telomeres,

4.      Differences in the chromosomal structure of prokaryotic ,eukaryotic cells and viruses

C.                 Genetic code:                                                                              (05)

1.      Historical perspectives- deciphering the genetic code

2.      Terminology: gene, cistron, coding & anticoding strand, open & blocked reading frame, sense codons and non-sense codons, correspondence of sense codons with t-RNA molecules

3.      Features of the genetic code: triplet nature, degeneracy, universality,   non-overlapping, comma less, directional nature of the code, wobble hypothesis

4.      Universality of the genetic code & exceptions to code, (listing different code tables)

D.                 Replication of DNA in bacteria ,viruses and plasmids               (18)

1.      Replication of bacterial chromosome.                       

                                              i.      Historical perspective, semi-conservative and bidirectional nature    of replication

                                            ii.      Replication of circular double helical DNA, Theta model of replication (J. Cairns experiment) sigma model of replication(in conjugation)

                                           iii.      Use of origin, primer, leading & lagging strands, Okazaki’s fragments

2.      Replication of plasmid DNA  - F plasmid

3.      Enzymes associated with chromosome replication, their role and significance, (primase, helicase, topoisomerase, DNA polymerases,  ligases, SSB proteins, , telomerases,reverse transcriptase)

4.      Differences in DNA  replication process  in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, role of mitotic cyclins in eukaryotes

5.      Replication of DNA and RNA  as genetic material  in bacteriophages

                                              i.      mechanism of replication in Фx 174 phage

                                            ii.      MS2  phage – DNA intermediates,  significance of RNA replicase,

6.      Replication of animal viruses – The process mechanism and model diagram of the   replication process of:

·       Positive Strand RNA virus replication: Polio Virus

·       Negative Strand RNA virus replication: Influenza virus

·       DNA animal virus replication: Herpes simplex

E.                 Genetic recombination                                                               (15)

1.      General consideration

                                              i.      Terminology: recombination, exogenote, endogenote, genetic markers, zygote and merozygote.

                                            ii.      Fate of exogenote  and endogenote

                                           iii.      Types of recombination: homologous, site-specfic , illegitimate

                                          iv.      Integration of exogenote and endogenote,

                                            v.      Heteroduplex formation in transformation, fate of heteroduplex, ( correction, replication), Holliday model for double stranded molecules.

2.      Study of transformation

                                              i.      Definition, significance of transformation in nature,

                                            ii.      Transformation process in Streptococcus pneunmoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, transformation of plamids

                                           iii.      artificial transformation of plasmids and its significance

3.      Transfection: principle and significance with respect to phage DNA and bacteria and yeast

4.      Conjugation

                                              i.      Discovery of conjugation in bacteria

                                            ii.      F plasmid : map of plasmid and functions of the major genes

                                           iii.      concept of  F⁺ , F^-, and Hfr strains

                                          iv.      mechanism of conjugation

                                            v.      Mapping genomes by conjugation (Wolman and Jabcob’s expt.)

                                          vi.      primary and secondary F strains

                                         vii.      Sexduction and its significance

                                       viii.      Solving problems based on recombination in bacteria

5.      Transduction in bacteria

                                              i.      discovery, generalized transduction &  specialized transduction,

                                            ii.      concept of defective and helper phages in specialized transductions

                                           iii.      abortive transduction, phage conversions

                                          iv.      use in gene mapping

6.      Transposons                                                          

                                              i.      Historical perspective

                                            ii.      Insertion sequences, composite element and Complex transposons

                                           iii.      Structure and properties of transposons

                                          iv.      Mechanism of transposition. Cointegrate formation, role of transposase and resolvase

                                            v.      Significance of transposition in mutations, phase variation, conjugation, expression of silent genes, etc.

F.                  Genetic change                                                                          (15)

1.      Introduction, role in evolution

2.      Genotype, phenotype, locus, allele

3.      Mutation: Spontaneous versus adapted mutation theory, concepts of point mutation, frame shift mutation, macro lesion, induced mutations, base pair substitution, transversions, transitions, mis-sense mutation, non-sense mutation, silent mutation, frame shift mutations, leaky mutation and non-leaky, conditional lethal mutation, pleiotropic mutations, cryptic mutation, reversion of mutation-true and pseudo reverse mutations

4.      Mutagenesis:

                                              i.      Concept of mutagen, types of mutagens

                                            ii.      Hot spots, mutator genes

                                           iii.      Principle and mechanisms with illustrative diagrams for:

a.      Chemical mutagens

· base analogue, Nitrous acid, hydroxyl amine  induced base pair substitution,

· frame shift mutation induced by intercalating agents

· alkylating agents and their multiple effects ,their use  in       selective mutagenesis

b.      Physical mutagens

· UV  and ionizing radiations

c.      Biological mutagens- transposons, Mu phage

                                          iv.      Selection and detection of Mutants

Selection based on:

·       relative growth using sib selection & replica plating   techniques

·       relative survival –using penicillin, 8 –aza guanine

·       Visual detection using tetrazolium salts, iodine

                                            v.      Phenotypic lag, effect of mutations on phenotype in bacteria

                                          vi.      Mutations in bacterial viruses, phenotypic mixing.

                                         vii.      Genetic complementation test.

                                       viii.      Ames test

G.                 Modification of genetic material :                                                (08)

1.      Restriction and modification of nucleic acids

                                              i.      restriction endonucleases and modification methylases

·       Types, role and significance.

2.      Principle and mechanism of repair of DNA: light repair, excision repair, DNA glycosylase mediated repair, repair of alkylation damage, mismatch repair, recombinational repair, and SOS repair

H.                 Regulation of gene expression                                                   (08)

1.      Regulation in bacteria 

                                              i.      Operon model –  criteria for negative / positive types and inducible / repressible types

                                            ii.      Examples of each group: negative control: lac operon, tryptophan operon;   Positive control: Catabolite repression

2.      Regulation of lytic and lysogenic life cycle in bacteriophage λ

I.                     Recombinant DNA technology                                                   (08)

1.      Types of vectors: Plasmids, cosmids, phages, phagemids, shuttle vectors; their applications , advantages and disadvantages of each

2.      Amplification of recombinant DNA using PCR technique.

3.      Introduction of foreign gene into vector- use of restriction endonucleases DNA polymerase, reverse transcriptase, ligases, etc.

4.      Introduction of recombinant DNA into recipient cells

5.      Screening and selection methods for identification and isolation of recombinant cells

6.      Applications of recombinant DNA technology

J.                        Population Genetics                                                               (06)

1.      Genetic structure of population Genotypic and allelic frequencies

2.      Introduction to Hardy- Weinberg Law

3.      Genetic variation in natural Population: Model of genetic variation, measurement of genetic variation by protein electrophoresis

4.      Change in genetic structure of population: Mutation, genetic drift, migration and natural selection

                                                                                         II.      Cell Biology                                                             [20]

A.            Surface structures of the cell                                                        (08)

1.      Cell wall                                                                                      (04)

                                              i.      Structure and function  in yeast, plant and  fungal cells

                                            ii.      Differences in the cell wall of prokaryotes and eukaryotes

2.      Cytoplasmic membrane:                                                            (04)

                                                   i.   Bilayer nature

                                                 ii.   Fluid Mosaic Model

                                                iii.   significance of membrane fluidity

                                               iv.   Factors influencing membrane fluidity

                                                 v.   Functions of the cytoplasmic membrane

B.           Cytoskeleton – Structure and function of microtubules ,microfilaments and intermediate filaments                                                       (02)

C.           Structure and Function of Membrane bound organelles               (10)