Origin of Life: Prokaryotes and eukaryotes, difference between plant and animal cell, hierarchy of molecular organization of living systems.

A brief concept of cell organelles and their functions: nucleus, plasma membrane, chloroplast, Golgi bodies, endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes, ribosomes and mitochondria: ATP Synthesis (substrate level phosphorylation like glycolysis and Kreb’s cycle and  oxidative level phosphorylation).

Introduction, classification, optical isomerism, chemical properties, acid-base properties- peptide bond formation and properties. Protein structure: Primary, secondary, tertiary & quaternary structures, denaturation of proteins, Ramachandran plot. Determination of Primary Structure - sequencing strategies, N-terminal and C-terminal sequencing.

Synthesis of amino acids by reductive amination, GS-GOGAT system and transamination.

Enzymes: Introduction, classification of enzymes, mechanism of enzyme action, enzyme kinetics, Michaelis – Menten equation and enzyme inhibition.  

Classification, structure and functions of monosaccharides, disaccharides, polysaccharides: Starch, cellulose, glycogen, chitin and pectins.

Glycoconjugates: Proteoglycans, glycoproteins and glycolipids.

Structure, sources, nomenclature and functions of lipids, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, classification: Simple, compound and derived lipids (steroids and cholesterol). Synthesis of long chain fatty acids, α-oxidation, β-oxidation.

Purines and Pyrimidines: Structures of purine and pyrimidine bases, nucleosides and nucleotides.

DNA: Double helical structure of DNA(Watson and Crick model) , types of DNA -A, B, C and Z forms, replication.

RNA: RNA structure and its types- rRNA, mRNA, and tRNA, ribozymes. Differences between DNA & RNA