Unit

Topic

No. of Lectures/Hrs

1

Nucleic acids: DNA as the carrier of genetic information (Griffith’s, Hershey & Chase, McLeod & McCarty experiment).

2

2

The Structures of DNA and RNA/Genetic Material: DNA Structure: Miescher to Watson and Crick- historic perspective, DNA structure, Salient
features of double helix, Types of DNA, denaturation and renaturation, cot curves; Organization of DNA- Prokaryotes, Viruses, Eukaryotes. RNA
Structure. Organelle DNA -- mitochondria and chloroplast DNA. The Nucleosome. Chromatin structure- Euchromatin, Heterochromatin- Constitutive and Facultative heterochromatin.

4

3

The replication of DNA: Chemistry of DNA synthesis (Kornberg’s discovery); General principles – bidirectional, semiconservative and semi discontinuous replication, RNA priming; rolling circle and θ (theta) mode of replication, replication of linear ds-DNA,
replication of the 5’end of linear chromosome; Enzymes involved in DNA replication.

5

4

Transcription: Transcription in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Principles of transcriptional regulation; Prokaryotes: lac operon Eukaryotes: transcription factors, heat shock proteins, Gene silencing.

4

5

Processing and modification of RNA: Split genes-concept of introns and exons, spliceosome machinery, splicing pathways, group I and group II intron splicing, alternative splicing, eukaryotic mRNA processing (5’ cap, 3’ poly A tail); Ribozymes; RNA editing.

3

6

Central dogma and genetic code: Genetic code (deciphering & salient features).

2

7

Translation: Ribosome structure and assembly, mRNA; Charging of tRNA, aminoacyl tRNA synthetases; Various steps in protein synthesis, proteins involved in initiation, elongation and termination of polypeptides; Fidelity of translation; Inhibitors of protein synthesis.

4

8

Mendelian genetics and its extension:
Principles of inheritance; Chromosome theory of inheritance; Autosomes and sex chromosomes; Probability and pedigree analysis; Incomplete dominance and codominance; Multiple alleles, Lethal alleles, Epistasis, Pleiotropy, Recessive and Dominant traits, Penetrance and Expressivity, Polygenic inheritance.

5

9

Extrachromosomal Inheritance: Chloroplast mutation: Variegation in Four o’clock plant; Mitochondrial mutations in yeast; Maternal effects-shell coiling in snail; Infective heredity- Kappa particles in Paramecium.

3

10

Linkage, crossing over and chromosome mapping: Linkage and crossing over-Cytological and molecular basis of crossing over; Recombination frequency, two
factor and three factor crosses; Interference and coincidence; Numericals based on gene mapping.

3

11

Variation in chromosome number and structure: Deletion, Duplication, Inversion, Translocation, Position effect, Euploidy and Aneuploidy.

3

12

Gene mutations: Types of mutations; Molecular basis of Mutations; Mutagens – physical and chemical (Base analogs, deaminating, and intercalating agents); Role of Transposons in mutation.DNA repair mechanisms.

3

13

Fine structure of gene: Classical vs molecular concepts of gene; Cis-Trans complementation test for functional allelism; Structure of Phage T4, rII Locus.

3

14

Population and Evolutionary Genetics: Allele frequencies, Genotype frequencies, Hardy-Weinberg Law, role of natural selection, mutation, genetic drift.

4

15

Plant Breeding: Introduction and objectives. Modes of reproduction in crop plants. Methods of crop improvement: Acclimatization; Selection methods: For self-pollinated, cross pollinated and vegetatively propagated plants; Hybridization: For self, cross and vegetatively propagated plants – Procedure, advantages and limitations. Role of mutations; Polyploidy; Distant hybridization; Heterosis: Theories and Applications.

12