BT-610: Molecular Biology		(2 credits)
1.	Genome Organization: Organization of bacterial genome, structure of eukaryotic chromosomes, role of nuclear matrix in chromosome organization and function, matrix binding proteins, heterochromatin and euchromatin, DNA reassociation kinetics (Cot curve analysis), repetitive and unique sequences, satellite DNA, DNA melting and buoyant density, nucleosome phasing, DNase I hypersensitive regions, DNA methylation & imprinting.
2.	DNA Structure: Structure of DNA- A-, B-, Z-, P- and triplex DNA, measurement of properties-spectrophotometric, CD, AFM and electron microscope analysis of DNA structure.
3.	Replication: replication initiation, elongation and termination in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, enzymes and accessory proteins, fidelity, replication of single stranded circular DNA, gene stability.
4.	Repair & Recombination: DNA repair-enzymes, photoreactivation, nucleotide excision repair, mismatch correction; SOS repair, recombination, homologous and non- homologous, site specific recombination, chi sequences in prokaryotes.
5.	Prokaryotic & Eukaryotic Transcription: Prokaryotic transcription, transcription unit, Promoters- constitutive and inducible, operators, regulatory elements, initiation, attenuation, termination-Rho-dependant and independent, anti-termination, transcriptional regulation-positive and negative, Regulation of gene expression, negative and positive, trans acting products and cis acting sequences, control of structural gene clusters, induction and repression of genes, role of antisense RNA in gene inactivation, regulator RNA's and micro RNA's as regulators in eukaryotes.
6.	Eukaryotic transcription and regulation: RNA polymerase structure and assembly, RNA polymerase I,II, III, eukaryotic promoters and enhancers, general transcription factors, TATA binding proteins (TBP) and TBP associated factors (TAF), activators and repressors, transcriptional and post transcriptional gene silencing.
7.	Post Transcriptional Modifications: Processing of hnRNA, tRNA , rRNA, 5'-cap formation; 3'-end processing and polyadenylation, Splicing, RNA editing, mRNA stability, catalytic RNA.
8.	Translation & Transport: Translation machinery; Ribosomes, composition and assembly, universal genetic code, degeneracy of codons, termination codons, Isoaccepting tRNA, Wobble hypothesis, Mechanism of initiation, elongation and termination, Co-and post translational modifications, genetic code in mitochondria, protein stability, protein turnover and degradation.
9.	Mutations, Oncogenes and Tumor suppressor genes: Nonsense, missense and point mutations, Intragenic and Intergenic suppression, Frame shift mutations, Physical, chemical and biological mutagens. Viral and cellular oncogenes, Tumor suppressor genes from humans, structure, function and mechanism of action of PRB and p53 tumor suppressor proteins, activation of oncogenes and dominant negative effect, suppression of tumor suppressor genes, oncogenes as transcriptional activators.
10.	Transposable elements: Transposition Transposable genetic elements in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, mechanisms of transposition, role of transposons in mutation.