MB- 316P: Genetics Lab – I
[Corresponding Practical of MB-314 & MB-315 ]
[ 75 marks , 3 credits; Practice period of 6 hours per week ]
I. 1. Karyotyping
2. Measurement of chromosome length and shape
3. Thermal denaturation of DNA and correlation of Tm & base composition.
4. Radiation handling techniques and Chemical Dosimetry.
5. Dose response relationship of mutagen
6. Calculation of LD50
II. Project work/Dissertation - I
MB- 314 : GENETICS-I ( CYTOGENETICS)
[ 100 marks , 4 Credits; Theory lecture of 4 hours per week. ]
Course Objective:
To introduce and impart the theoretical and practical knowledge of cytogenetics and crop evolution, structural and numerical variations of chromosomes, polyploidy and its role in crop breeding and genetic composition of populations.
Course outcome:
1. Understanding of the knowledge on chromosomes morphology and its relevance in genetics, chromosomal aberrations, polyploidy and their role in genome evolution with special reference to plant breeding.
2. Understanding of the knowledge on evolution entails changes in the genetic composition of populations and also understand the source of genetic variation and how it is shaped in the absence of evolutionary forces.
Course content:
I. Cytogenetical Techniques: Karyotyping, Chromosome banding and painting - in situ hybridization – FISH, GISH and various applications. Crop genetics: Crop domestication in selected taxa; role of chromosomal aberrations in crop evolution
II. Structural and Numerical variations of chromosomes: Euploidy - haploids, diploids and polyploids ; Utilization of aneuploids in gene location - Variation in chromosome behavior - somatic segregation and chimeras – endomitosis and somatic reduction; balanced lethals and chromosome complexes.
III. Polyploidy and its role in crop breeding: Evolutionary advantages of autopolyploids vs allopolyploids –- Role of aneuploids in basic and applied aspects of crop breeding, their maintenance and utilization in gene mapping and gene blocks transfer – Alien addition and substitution lines – creation and utilization; Apomixis - Evolutionary and genetic problems in crops with apomixes.
IV. Population Genetics: Genotype and allelic frequencies, the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, non-random mating, consequences of homozygosity, factors affecting gene frequencies, heterosis, mutation – effect on allele frequencies, migration and genetic drift
Suggested Readings:
1. Acquaah G (2007). Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding, Blackwell Publishing Ltd. USA.
2. Allard R. W. (1999). Principles of Plant Breeding, John Wiley and Sons.
3. Singh R. J. (2002). Plant Cytogenetics, CRC Press.
4. Hartwell L. H., Hood L., Goldberg M. L., Reynolds A. E., Silver L. M., Veres R. C. (2006). Genetics-From Genes to Genomes, McGraw Hill
5. Lewin B. (2008). Genes IX, Jones and Barlett Publishers.
6. Hartl D. L. and Jones E. W. (2007). Genetics-Analysis of Genes and Genomes, Jones and Barlett publishers.
7.Gupta PK. 2010. Cytogenetics. Rastogi Publ.
8. Gupta PK & Tsuchiya T. 1991. Chromosome Engineering in Plants: Genetics, Breeding and Evolution. Part A. Elsevier.
MB-303P: General Practical-III
[MB-301 Genetics and Molecular Biology&MB-302 BiologicalTechniques]
[ 75 marks,3 credits; Practice period of 6 hours per week ]
Genetics and Molecular Biology
1. Preparation of competent cells
2. Bacterial genetic transformation
3. Confirmation and calculation of the frequency of transformed cells
4. Bacterial conjugation
5. Confirmation of conjugation
6. Bacterial transduction
SEMESTER – III
MB- 301: GENETICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
[ 100 marks, 4 credits; Theory lecture of 4 hours per week. ]
Course Objective:
To provide theoretical and practical skills on the principles of inheritance at the molecular, cellular and organismal levels. The course will also cover the DNA replication and DNA repair mechanisms, prokaryotic and eukaryotic transcription, post-transcriptional modification mechanisms and translation and post-translational modifications.
Course outcome:
1. Understanding of the concept of dominance and recessive traits, Laws of segregation and independent assortment, inheritance of qualitative and quantitative traits, factors influencing inheritance – genetics and environment.
2. Understanding of the principle mechanisms of genome replication, transcription and translation, maintenance and function.
Course content:
I. Mendelian Genetics: concept of dominance, recessiveness, segregation & independent assortment; Non-Mendelian inheritance patterns: Genomic imprinting; Complex inheritance-genetic and environmental variation– expressivity & penetrance; Analysis of quantitative and qualitative traits
II. DNA Replication & Repair: Replication initiation, elongation and termination in prokaryotes and eukaryotes; Enzymes and accessory proteins; Fidelity; Replication of single stranded circular DNA; DNA repair-enzymes; Photoreactivation; Nucleotide excision repair; Mismatch correction; SOS repair; DNA Recombination: Homologous and non-homologous; Site specific recombination; Chi sequences in prokaryotes; FLP/FRT and Cre/Lox recombination.
III. Transcription: Prokaryotic transcription: units, steps, mechanisms, enzymes involved; Promoters-Constitutive and Inducible promoters; other regulatory elements - upstream activating sequences (UAS); anti-termination; inhibitors of transcription. Operon concept: Operon concept – inducible and repressible operons. Eg. lac, trp. Eukaryotic transcription:units, steps, mechanisms, enzymes
Revised syllabus for M.Sc. Program in Botany, Department of Botany
(Academic session 2024-25 onwards)
Page 24 of 57
involved - structure and assembly; Basal transcription apparatus for the three polymerases with specific promoters and transcription factors; Other regulatory elements – enhancers, silencers, response elements; Transcriptional factors – general features, motifs - zinc fingers, leucine zippers, helix-turn helix, homeodomains etc.Gene Splicing & post-transcriptional modifications: mechanism, catalytic role of RNA; Group I, II and nuclear introns, nuclear splicing and role of snRNA, tRNA splicing; modification of mRNA - 5' cap formation, 3' polyadenylation; RNA editing. RNA interference (RNAi)- mechanism and significance.
IV. Translation: Genetic code – universality and degeneracy, Wobble hypothesis, Chemical synthesis of the gene by Khorana; Translation machinery – ribosomes; charging of tRNA molecules and formation of aminoacyltRNA; mechanim - initiation, elongation and termination; post-translational modifications of proteins – glycosylation, amidation, lipidation, processing of pre-proteins etc.; Transport of proteins and molecular chaperones; Protein stability; Protein turnover and degradation; Inhibitors of protein translation.
Suggested Readings:
1. Russel P. J. (2010). iGenetics-A Molecular Approach, Pearson Education Inc.
2. Strickberger M.W. (2008). Genetics, Pearson (Prentice Hall).
3. Griffiths, A. J. F., Miller, J. H., Suzuki, D. T., Lewontin, R. C., Gelbart, W. M. An Introduction to Genetic Analysis, W. H. Freeman & Company, New York.
4. Gardner, E. J., Simmons, M. J. and Snustad, D. P. Principles of Genetics, 8th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York.
5. An Introduction to genetic analysis. Anthony A. J. F. Griffiths; Susan R. Wessler; Sean B. Carroll; John Deebly. 11th Edition
6. Genetics: A Conceptual approach. Benjamin A. Pierce. 5th Edition
7. Alberts, B., Johnson, A.D., Lewis, J., Morgan, D., Raff, M. and Roberts, K. (2014). Molecular Biology of the Cell. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, USA.
8. Karp, J.G. (2007) Cell and Molecular Biology. John Wiley & Sons, USA.
9. Berk, A., Kaiser, C.A., Lodish, H., Amon, A., Ploegh, H, Bretscher (Author), Monty Krieger, A., Martin, K.C. (Eds). (2016) Molecular Cell Biology. Freeman & Co., USA.