SYLLABUS GATE LIFESCIENCES (XL)

SECTION H. CHEMISTRY (Compulsory)

Atomic structure and periodicity: Planck‘s quantum theory, wave particle duality,
uncertainty principle, quantum mechanical model of hydrogen atom; electronic
configuration of atoms; periodic table and periodic properties; ionization energy,
election affinity, electronegativity, atomic size.
Structure and bonding: Ionic and covalent bonding, M.O. and V.B. approaches for
diatomic molecules, VSEPR theory and shape of molecules, hybridisation,
resonance, dipole moment, structure parameters such as bond length, bond angle
and bond energy, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals interactions. Ionic solids, ionic
radii, lattice energy (Born-Haber Cycle).
s.p. and d Block Elements: Oxides, halides and hydrides of alkali and alkaline earth
metals, B, Al, Si, N, P, and S, general characteristics of 3d elements, coordination
complexes: valence bond and crystal field theory, color, geometry and magnetic
properties.
Chemical Equilibria: Colligative properties of solutions, ionic equilibria in solution,
solubility product, common ion effect, hydrolysis of salts, pH, buffer and their
applications in chemical analysis, equilibrium constants (Kc, Kp and Kx) for
homogeneous reactions,
Electrochemistry: Conductance, Kohlrausch law, Half Cell potentials, emf, Nernst
equation, galvanic cells, thermodynamic aspects and their applications.
Reaction Kinetics: Rate constant, order of reaction, molecularity, activation energy,
zero, first and second order kinetics, catalysis and elementary enzyme reactions.
Thermodynamics: First law, reversible and irreversible processes, internal energy,
enthalpy, Kirchoff‘s equation, heat of reaction, Hess law, heat of formation, Second
law, entropy, free energy, and work function. Gibbs-Helmholtz equation, Clausius-
Clapeyron equation, free energy change and equilibrium constant, Troutons rule,
Third law of thermodynamics.
Basis of Organic Reactions Mechanism: Elementary treatment of SN1, SN2, E1 and
E2 reactions, Hoffmann and Saytzeff rules, Addition reactions, Markonikoff rule and
Kharash effect, Diels-Alder reaction, aromatic electrophilic substitution, orientation
effect as exemplified by various functional groups. Identification of functional
groups by chemical tests
Structure-Reactivity Correlations: Acids and bases, electronic and steric effects,
optical and geometrical isomerism, tautomerism, conformers, concept of
aromaticity

SECTION I. BIOCHEMISTRY
Organization of life. Importance of water. Cell structure and organelles. Structure and function of
biomolecules: Amino acids, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins and Nucleic acids. Biochemical separation
techniques and characterization: ion exchange, size exclusion and affinity chromatography,
electrophoresis, UV-visible, fluorescence and Mass spectrometry. Protein structure, folding and function:
Myoglobin, Hemoglobin, Lysozyme, Ribonuclease A, Carboxypeptidase and Chymotrypsin. Enzyme
kinetics including its regulation and inhibition, Vitamins and Coenzymes.
Metabolism and bioenergetics. Generation and utilization of ATP. Metabolic pathways and their
regulation: glycolysis, TCA cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, oxidative phosphorylation,
gluconeogenesis, glycogen and fatty acid metabolism. Metabolism of Nitrogen containing compounds:
nitrogen fixation, amino acids and nucleotides. Photosynthesis: the Calvin cycle.
Biological membranes. Transport across membranes. Signal transduction; hormones and
neurotransmitters.
DNA replication, transcription and translation. Biochemical regulation of gene expression. Recombinant
DNA technology and applications: PCR, site directed mutagenesis and DNA-microarray.
Immune system. Active and passive immunity. Complement system. Antibody structure, function and
diversity. Cells of the immune system: T, B and macrophages. T and B cell activation. Major
histocompatibilty complex. T cell receptor. Immunological techniques: Immunodiffusion,
immunoelectrophoresis, RIA and ELISA.

SECTION J. BOTANY
Plant Systematics: Systems of classification (non-phylogenetic vs. phylogenetic
-outline), plant groups, molecular systematics.
Plant Anatomy: Plant cell structure, organization, organelles, cytoskeleton, cell wall
and membranes; anatomy of root, stem and leaves, meristems, vascular system,
their ontogeny, structure and functions, secondary growth in plants and stellar
organization.
Morphogenesis & Development: Cell cycle, cell division, life cycle of an angiosperm,
pollination, fertilization, embryogenesis, seed formation, seed storage proteins,
seed dormancy and germination.
Concept of cellular totipotency, clonal propagation; organogenesis and somatic
embryogenesis, artificial seed, somaclonal variation, secondary metabolism in plant
cell culture, embryo culture, in vitro fertilization.
Physiology and Biochemistry: Plant water relations, transport of minerals and
solutes, stress physiology, stomatal physiology, signal transduction, N2 metabolism,
photosynthesis, photorespiration; respiration, Flowering: photoperiodism and
vernalization, biochemical mechanisms involved in flowering; molecular mechanism
of senencensce and aging, biosynthesis, mechanism of action and physiological
effects of plant growth regulators, structure and function of biomolecules, (proteins,
carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acid), enzyme kinetics.
Genetics: Principles of Mendelian inheritance, linkage, recombination, genetic
mapping; extrachromosomal inheritance; prokaryotic and eukaryotic genome
organization, regulation of gene expression, gene mutation and repair,
chromosomal aberrations (numerical and structural), transposons.
Plant Breeding and Genetic Modification: Principles, methods œ selection,
hybridization, heterosis; male sterility, genetic maps and molecular markers,
sporophytic and gametophytic self incompability, haploidy, triploidy, somatic cell
hybridization, marker-assisted selection, gene transfer methods viz. direct and
vector-mediated, plastid transformation, transgenic plants and their application in
agriculture, molecular pharming, plantibodies.
Economic Botany: A general account of economically and medicinally important
plants-cereals, pulses, plants yielding fibers, timber, sugar, beverages, oils, rubber,
pigments, dyes, gums, drugs and narcotics. Economic importance of algae, fungi,
lichen and bacteria.
Plant Pathology: Nature and classification of plant diseases, diseases of important
crops caused by fungi, bacteria and viruses, and their control measures,
mechanism(s) of pathogenesis and resistance, molecular detection of pathogens;
plant-microbe beneficial interactions.
Ecology and Environment: Ecosystems œ types, dynamics, degradation, ecological
succession; food chains and energy flow; vegetation types of the world, pollution
and global warming, speciation and extinction, conservation strategies,
cryopreservation, phytoremediation.

SECTION K. MICROBIOLOGY
Historical Perspective: Discovery of microbial world; Landmark discoveries relevant
to the field of microbiology; Controversy over spontaneous generation; Role of
microorganisms in transformation of organic matter and in the causation of
diseases.
Methods in Microbiology: Pure culture techniques; Theory and practice of
sterilization; Principles of microbial nutrition; Enrichment culture techniques for
isolation of microorganisms; Light-, phase contrast-and electron-microscopy.
Microbial Taxonomy and Diversity: Bacteria, Archea and their broad classification;
Eukaryotic microbes: Yeasts, molds and protozoa; Viruses and their classification;
Molecular approaches to microbial taxonomy.
Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells: Structure and Function: Prokaryotic Cells: cell
walls, cell membranes, mechanisms of solute transport across membranes, Flagella
and Pili, Capsules, Cell inclusions like endospores and gas vesicles; Eukaryotic cell
organelles: Endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria and chloroplasts.
Microbial Growth: Definition of growth; Growth curve; Mathematical expression of
exponential growth phase; Measurement of growth and growth yields; Synchronous
growth; Continuous culture; Effect of environmental factors on growth.
Control of Micro-organisms: Effect of physical and chemical agents; Evaluation of
effectiveness of antimicrobial agents.
Microbial Metabolism: Energetics: redox reactions and electron carriers; An
overview of metabolism; Glycolysis; Pentose-phosphate pathway; Entner-Doudoroff
pathway; Glyoxalate pathway; The citric acid cycle; Fermentation; Aerobic and
anaerobic respiration; Chemolithotrophy; Photosynthesis; Calvin cycle; Biosynthetic
pathway for fatty acids synthesis; Common regulatory mechanisms in synthesis of
amino acids; Regulation of major metabolic pathways.
Microbial Diseases and Host Pathogen Interaction: Normal microbiota; Classification
of infectious diseases; Reservoirs of infection; Nosocomial infection; Emerging
infectious diseases; Mechanism of microbial pathogenicity; Nonspecific defense of
host; Antigens and antibodies; Humoral and cell mediated immunity; Vaccines;
Immune deficiency; Human diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, and pathogenic
fungi.
Chemotherapy/Antibiotics: General characteristics of antimicrobial drugs;
Antibiotics: Classification, mode of action and resistance; Antifungal and antiviral
drugs.
Microbial Genetics: Types of mutation; UV and chemical mutagens; Selection of
mutants; Ames test for mutagenesis; Bacterial genetic system: transformation,
conjugation, transduction, recombination, plasmids, transposons; DNA repair;
Regulation of gene expression: repression and induction; Operon model; Bacterial
genome with special reference to E.coli; Phage - and its life cycle; RNA phages; RNA
viruses; Retroviruses; Basic concept of microbial genomics.
Microbial Ecology: Microbial interactions; Carbon, sulphur and nitrogen cycles; Soil
microorganisms associated with vascular plants.

SECTION L. ZOOLOGY
Animal world: Animal diversity, distribution, systematics and classification of
animals, phylogenetic relationships.
Evolution: Origin and history of life on earth, theories of evolution, natural selection,
adaptation, speciation.
Genetics: Principles of inheritance, molecular basis of heredity, mutations,
cytoplasmic inheritance, linkage and mapping of genes.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: Nucleic acids, proteins, lipids and
carbohydrates; replication, transcription and translation; regulation of gene
expression, organization of genome, Kreb‘s cycle, glycolysis, enzyme catalysis,
hormones and their actions, vitamins.
Cell Biology: Structure of cell, cellular organelles and their structure and function,
cell cycle, cell division, chromosomes and chromatin structure. Eukaryotic gene
organization and expression (Basic principles of signal transduction).
Animal Anatomy and Physiology: Comparative physiology, the respiratory system,
circulatory system, digestive system, the nervous system, the excretory system, the
endocrine system, the reproductive system, the skeletal system, osmoregulation.
Parasitology and Immunology: Nature of parasite, host-parasite relation, protozoan
and helminthic parasites, the immune response, cellular and humoral immune
response, evolution of the immune system.
Development Biology: Embryonic development, cellular differentiation,
organogenesis, metamorphosis, genetic basis of development, stem cells.
Ecology: The ecosystem, habitats, the food chain, population dynamics, species
diversity, zoogerography, biogeochemical cycles, conservation biology.
Animal Behaviour: Types of behaviours, courtship, mating and territoriality, instinct,
learning and memory, social behaviour across the animal taxa, communication,
pheromones, evolution of animal behaviour.