BINC Basic BIOLOGY Syllabus => PAPER 1

BINC Basic Biology Syllabus: PAPER 1 

This is Basic BIOLOGY Syllabus for BINC Paper 1 examination. Knowing each topic thoroughly is very basic task to do for preparing BINC Paper 1 examination.

Cell Biology and Genetics:

Basic aspects of Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells (plant and animal cells); membranes and cellular compartments, cell organelles, structure and function, visualizing cells.

Cell motility and shape: cytoskeletal elements, cilia and flagella; motor proteins

Cell-cell interactions: Intercellular junctions

Cell cycle and its regulation, events during mitosis and meiosis, Programmed
Cell Death.

Concepts of Bioenergetics, respiration, electron transport systems.

Concepts of gene: Allele, multiple alleles, pseudoallele, complementation tests.

Mendelian principles: Inheritance, sex linked inheritance, Dominance, segregation, independent assortment.

Mutations: Types, causes and detection, germline versus somatic mutations,

Mutant types: lethal, conditional, biochemical, loss of function, gain of function, point/deletion/insertional mutations, DNA repair

Chromosomal Variations: Structural and numerical abnormalities: Aneuploidy, Euploidy, Polypoidy, Trisomy, monosomy, nullisomy.

Basic concepts in immunology: Innate and adaptive, humoral and cell mediated immunity and antigen-antibody interaction

Concepts of development and pattern formation: C. elegans, Drosophila, Frog embryo development and neural development.

Molecular Biology:

DNA and RNA: Structure, physical and chemical properties, Types of DNA and RNA. DNA as a genetic material.

Prokaryotic and eukaryotic genome organization and structure

Basic concepts of replication: Experiments to prove Semi conservative replication,

Prokaryotic: rolling circle replication and Eukaryotic replications,

Prokaryotic gene expression: Lac operon, trp operan, factors involved in gene regulations, mechanisms of gene expression in Eukaryotes, basic mechanisms of transcription and translation

Mechanisms of genome alterations: Recombination, mutation, inversion, duplication, transposition.

Biochemistry:

Carbohydrates and lipids: Their importance in cells

Proteins: Amino acids and their physico-chemical 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, MichaelisMenten kinetics, inhibitors and activators, active site

Carbohydrate metabolism: Glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis, glycogenesis, TCA cycle and oxidative phosphorylation
Pentose phosphate pathway; hormonal control, β-oxidation and biosynthesis of fatty acids Transamination and deamination of amino acids, ketogenic and glycogenic amino acids, urea cycle
Purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis

Suggested Books for Reading:

1. Life, the biology of science, 10th edition, David Sadava

2. Genetics: A conceptual approach, 5th Edition, Benjamin Pierce.

3. Principles of Biochemistry by Lehninger

4. The Molecular biology of the Cell, 5th Edition, Bruce Alberts

5. Genes X by B. Lewin

6. Essential Cell Biology 2nd Ed B.Alberts, D.Bray, K.Hopkin and A.Johnson

7. Biochemisty, 6th Edition Berg, Jermy M., Tymoczko, John L and Styer, Lubert

8. Biochemistry Vol 1: Biomolecules, mechanisms of enzyme action and metabolism Voet, D and  Voet, J.

9. Molecular Biology of the Gene, Watson, JD., Hopkins, NH., Roberts, JW and Steitz, JA.

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