The document provides an overview of the important topics covered in the CSIR NET life science subject syllabus. It lists the main topics under each of the 13 units that make up the syllabus, including topics related to molecules and their interactions, cellular organization, fundamental processes, cell communication and signaling, developmental biology, plant and animal systems physiology, inheritance biology, diversity of life forms, ecological principles, evolution and behavior, applied biology, and methods in biology. Students are advised to check these topics to prepare for the CSIR NET exam.

2. Being a broader subject, life science has many topics which make
the CSIR NET syllabus huge.
So, how you have to deal with all these topics?
Don’t worry as here we’ve provided the list of important topics of
CSIR NET life science subject.
You are suggested to check the complete presentation..

3. • The stabilizing bonds between macromolecules
• Protein conformations, dihedral bonds and Ramachandran plot,
techniques to determine different conformations, and their
sequencing.
• Metabolic pathways of carbohydrates including glycolytic and
TCA cycle steps, regulation (specially allosteric and feedback
inhibition), enzymes cofactors involved and stoichiometry, ETC
and ATP synthesis (along with inhibitors) (very important)
Unit -1 Molecules and their Interaction Relevant to Biology

4. • Protein conformations, dihedral bonds and Ramachandran plot,
techniques to determine different conformations, and their
sequencing.
• Numerical questions on molarity, pH buffer and thermodynamic
(delta G calculation in various cellular processes).
Unit -1 Molecules and their Interaction Relevant to Biology
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5. • Protein transport pathways to various organelles, cytoskeletal
components like actin, dynein, kinesin and their function in
different cellular processes, enzymatic contents of cellular
organelles like Golgi, lysosomes, peroxisomes, diseases
associated with their impaired functions, protein modifications
in ER.
• Lipid rafts, FRAP, freeze etching.
• Cellular fractionation-based questions will also be asked.
Unit -2 Cellular Organisation

6. • Various types of ion channels, pumps, and transporters, their
inhibitors (it’s very important to memorize their names and
exact mode of inhibition, membrane destabilizing agents,
detergent treatments (mostly experimental based questions are
expected), membrane potential and what causes a change in the
potential.
• Membrane structure and function – The composition and nature
in detail, all types of phospholipids and proteins, their
distribution in the membrane, RBC membrane components such
as Band.
Unit -2 Cellular Organisation

7. • RNA Transcription: Transcription factors in prokaryotes and
eukaryotes, RNA polymerase, machinery, initiation complex
formation, capping, polyadenylation, types of RNA splicing –
spliceosome components, RNA editing.
• DNA Replication: Meselson Stahl Experiment, prokaryotic and
eukaryotic replication, different types of DNA polymerases and
their specific functions.
Unit – 3 Fundamental Processes

8. • Gene regulation in eukaryotes – Phage gene regulation – Lytic
and lysogenic phases and genes expressed.
• Individual stages of the processes (initiation, elongation,
termination) and the components involved (like enzymes,
activators, inhibitors, repressors)
• Gene silencing methods, RNAi
Unit – 3 Fundamental Processes

9. • The 1st subunit
• The 2nd subunit deals with cell signalling
• The 3rd subunit is about cell communication
• 4th subunit
Unit 4 - Cell Communication and Cell Signaling

10. • Gametogenesis with special emphasis on stages and
chromosome number, fertilization process, slow block and fast
block to polyspermy.
• Types of eggs and various cleavage patterns and examples of
organisms in which it takes place, fate maps.
• The important terms and terminologies such as potency,
commitment, induction, competence, cytoplasmic determinants
and morphogenetic gradients – in-depth concepts with
reference to the different developmental processes.
Unit 5 – Developmental Biology

11. • Drosophila developmental stages – all types of maternal and
zygotic genes involved with the detailed process of function.
Very scoring topic overall!
• Differentiating between terms such as specification,
differentiation, and determination. Types of specifications such
as autonomous, conditional and regulative with examples.
• From plant development focus on topics such as double
fertilization, leaf development, meristems and their transition to
flowering, and complete floral development (along with ABC
model) with emphasis on the genes involved in Arabidopsis and
Antirrhinum.
Unit 5 – Developmental Biology

12. • Biotic and abiotic stress – Plant’s detailed mechanisms for
adapting to different stress conditions.
• Sensory photobiology – phytochrome, cryptochrome,
phototropin, photoperiodism, short-day plants, long-day plants,
behavior and response of a plant to different colored lights.
Unit – 6 System Psychology - Plant

13. • Photosynthesis – C2, C3, C4, CAM pathway, TCA,
photorespiration, oxidative phosphorylation, cyclic and noncyclic
photophosphorylation.
• Solute transport, Water potential concept.
• Stomatal opening and closure by various triggers.
Unit – 6 System Psychology - Plant

14. • Cardiac cycle, heartbeats, blood pressure, blood volume
regulation, different serum contents.
• Different neurotransmitters and action potential, you may
expect a combined question with Unit 2 with respect to
membrane or Unit 4 with respect to cell signaling.
• Gaseous exchange hemoglobin, myoglobin, their behavior with
oxygen like left and right shift.
Unit – 7 System Psychology – Animal

15. • Kidney filtration system, structure, and function of different parts
of a nephron, regulation of water balance.
• Sense organs – structure and function of different parts of the
ear.
• Reproduction-hormones in processes such as gametogenesis
and ovulation.
Unit – 7 System Psychology – Animal

16. • Different genetic crosses, pedigree, ABO blood grouping,
multiple genes, complementation, mitotic and meiotic non-
disjunction, tetrad analysis
• Mutations (mutational studies based questions expected) which
can be also covered under Unit 3.
• Microbial genetics and interrupted mating experiments, (Hfr
mapping, methods of genetic transfers – transformation,
conjugation, transduction and sex-duction, mapping genes by
interrupted mating).
Unit 8 – Inheritance Biology

17. • Mendelian ratios, their statistics, terms like codominance,
incomplete dominance, pleiotropy, genomic imprinting,
penetrance, expressivity, phenocopy, linkage, crossing over, sex
linkage, sex limited and sex influenced characters, maternal
inheritance and various gene interactions
Unit 8 – Inheritance Biology

18. • Different protozoan and bacterial diseases.
• alpha-beta-gamma taxonomy.
• binomial nomenclature.
• The evolutionary relationships among taxa (graphical or
phylogenetic tree, common ancestor based questions expected).
• Hierarchical taxa.
• common parasite and pathogens for different hosts.
Unit – 9 Diversity of Life Forms

19. • Rules in Ecology like Bergmann’s rule, Allen’s rule, Gloger’s rule,
Yoda’s law.
• Pyramids of energy and population, thermal stratification in
lentic ecosystem
• Population Ecology – r and k selection, Hardy Weinberg Law,
gene pool, Concepts and rate of change in gene frequency
through natural selection, survivorship curves, population
characteristics and regulation, population growth curves,
metapopulation, terms like demes, dispersal, interdemic
extinction, age-structured population are important.
Unit – 10 Ecological Principles

20. • The structure of an ecological organization, like organisms,
population, community, ecosystem, biomes, and biosphere. It is
required to have a good knowledge of the major biomes of the
world.
• Basic Ecology: Fundamentals of Ecology by Eugene P. Odum.
• Biosphere reserves and sanctuaries in different states of India,
the difference between adaptation and acclimatization, recent
concerns like anthropological activities, global warming,
environmental pollution, monitoring, its effects on biodiversity,
Project Tiger.
Unit – 10 Ecological Principles

21. • Phylogenetic tree and cladogram, molecular evolution,
molecular divergence, clocks, tools, protein, and nucleotide
gene analysis, new protein or gene origin, duplication,
divergence.
• The concept of speciation types such as allopatric, parapatric
and sympatric
• Genetic drift changes through natural selection.
• Ensure you know all the types of selection like directional,
stabilizing and disruptive
• Concept clarity should be there about the founder’s effect and
bottleneck effect
Unit – 11 Evolution and Behavior

22. • Natural selection – Lamarck concept, Darwinism, adaptation,
variation, struggle, fitness, the spontaneity of mutation.
• Geological time scale – Ontology, evolutionary history, Major
events in different eras, periods, epochs. You can use some
mnemonic code to memorize them.
• Concept of Oparin and Haldane; Experiment of Miller.
• Adaptive radiation, endosymbiotic theory.
Unit – 11 Evolution and Behavior

23. • Various bioresources, and uses in biodiversity, bioremediation
and phytoremediation, purpose and the different organisms
involved.
• You may expect some experimental questions on marker-
assisted selection breeding of qualitative and quantitative traits
or for disease resistance in plant breeding.
• Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer process.
• Gene therapy.
• Different tissue culture requirements for both plants and
animals.
• Biosensors.
Unit – 12 Applied Biology

24. • mmunological techniques such as ELISA, RIA, western blot,
immunoprecipitation, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence
microscopy, FISH and GISH.
• T-test, X2 test
• Recombinant DNA technology: RNA, DNA and proteins
isolation, separation and analytical techniques (1D and 2D gel
electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing gels), cloning,
• Recombinant protein expression using various bacterial, animal
and plant vectors (cosmid, BAC and YAC vectors), genomic and
cDNA libraries.
Unit 13 – Methods in Biology

25. • Statistical Methods – Mainly questions will be asked from
probability distributions such as Binomial, Poisson and normal.
• Biophysical methods such as UV/visible, fluorescence
spectroscopy, circular dichroism, NMR, ESR spectroscopy, X-ray
diffraction, NMR, different types of mass spectrometry.
• Electrophysiological methods – Single neuron recording, patch-
clamp recording, ECG, Brain activity recording, PET, MRI, fMRI,
CAT.
Unit 13 – Methods in Biology

26. Thank
You!