GATE Life Sciences
Syllabus:
1. Chemistry
Section 1: Atomic
Structure and Periodicity
Planck’s quantum theory,
wave particle duality, uncertainty principle, quantum mechanical model of
hydrogen atom, electronic configuration of atoms and ions. Periodic table and
periodic properties: ionization energy, electron affinity, electronegativity
and atomic size.GATE 2020 Notification PDF Download
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Section 2: Structure and Bonding
Ionic and covalent bonding, MO and VB approaches for
diatomic molecules, VSEPR theory and shape of molecules, hybridization,
resonance, dipole moment, structure parameters such as bond length, bond angle
and bond energy, hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions. Ionic solids,
ionic radii and lattice energy (Born‐Haber
cycle). HSAB principle.
Section 3: s, p and d Block Elements
Oxides, halides and hydrides of alkali, alkaline earth
metals, B, Al, Si, N, P, and S. General characteristics of 3d elements.
Coordination complexes: valence bond and crystal field theory, color, geometry,
magnetic properties and isomerism.
Section 4: Chemical Equilibria
Colligative properties of solutions, ionic equilibria in
solution, solubility product, common ion effect, hydrolysis of salts, pH,
buffer and their applications. Equilibrium constants (Kc, Kp and Kx) for
homogeneous reactions.
Section 5: Electrochemistry
Conductance, Kohlrausch law,
cell potentials, emf, Nernst equation, Galvanic cells, thermodynamic aspects
and their applications.
Section 6: Reaction Kinetics
Rate constant, order of
reaction, molecularity, activation energy, zero, first and second order
kinetics, catalysis and elementary enzyme reactions.
Section 7: Thermodynamics
First law, reversible and irreversible processes, internal
energy, enthalpy, Kirchoff equation, heat of reaction, Hess’s law, heat of
formation. Second law, entropy, free energy and work function. Gibbs‐
Helmholtz equation, Clausius‐Clapeyron equation,
free energy change, equilibrium constant and Trouton’s rule. Third law of
thermodynamics.
Section 8: Structure-Reactivity Correlations and Organic
Reaction Mechanisms
Acids and bases, electronic and steric effects, optical and
geometrical isomerism, tautomerism, conformers and concept of aromaticity.
Elementary treatment of SN1, SN2, E1 and E2 reactions, Hoffmann and Saytzeff
rules, addition reactions, Markownikoff rule and Kharash effect. Aromatic electrophilic
substitutions, orientation effect as exemplified by various functional groups.
Diels‐Alder,
Wittig and hydroboration reactions. Identification of functional groups by
chemical tests.
2. Biochemistry
Section 1:
Organization of life; Importance
of water; Structure and function of biomolecules: Amino acids, Carbohydrates,
Lipids, Proteins and Nucleic acids; Protein structure, folding and function:
Myoglobin, Hemoglobin, Lysozyme, Ribonuclease A, Carboxypeptidase and
Chymotrypsin.
Section 2:
Enzyme kinetics including its regulation and inhibition,
Vitamins and Coenzymes ; Metabolism and bioenergetics; Generation and
utilization of ATP; Metabolic pathways and their regulation: glycolysis, TCA
cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, oxidative phosphorylation, gluconeogenesis,
glycogen and fatty acid metabolism; Metabolism of Nitrogen containing
compounds: nitrogen fixation, amino acids and nucleotides. Photosynthesis:
Calvin cycle.
Section 3:
Biochemical separation techniques: ion exchange, size
exclusion and affinity chromatography, Characterization of biomolecules by
electrophoresis, UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy and Mass
spectrometry.
Section 4:
Cell structure and organelles;
Biological membranes; Transport across membranes; Signal transduction; Hormones
and neurotransmitters.
Section 5:
DNA replication, transcription
and translation; Biochemical regulation of gene expression; Recombinant DNA
technology and applications: PCR, site directed mutagenesis and DNA-microarray.
Section 6:
Immune
system: Active and passive immunity; Complement system; Antibody structure,
function and
diversity; Cells of the immune
system: T, B and macrophages; T and B cell activation; Major histocompatibilty
complex; T cell receptor; Immunological techniques: Immunodiffusion,
immunoelectrophoresis, RIA and ELISA.
3. Botany
Section 1: Plant Systematics
Major systems of classification, plant groups,
phylogenetic relationships and molecular systematics.
Section 2: Plant Anatomy:
Plant cell structure and its
components; cell wall and membranes; organization, organelles, cytoskeleton,
anatomy of root, stem and leaves, floral parts, embryo and young seedlings,
meristems, vascular system, their ontogeny, structure and functions, secondary
growth in plants and stellar organization.
Section 3: Morphogenesis & Development
Cell cycle, cell division, life cycle of an angiosperm,
pollination, fertilization, embryogenesis, seed formation, seed storage
proteins, seed dormancy and germination.
Concept of cellular totipotency, clonal propagation;
organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis, artificial seed, somaclonal variation,
secondary metabolism in plant cell culture, embryo culture, in vitro
fertilization.
Section 4: Physiology and Biochemistry
Plant water relations, transport of minerals and solutes,
stress physiology, stomatal physiology, signal transduction, N2 metabolism,
photosynthesis, photorespiration; respiration, Flowering: photoperiodism and
vernalization, biochemical mechanisms involved in flowering; molecular
mechanism of senencensce and aging, biosynthesis, mechanism of action and physiological
effects of plant growth regulators, structure and function of biomolecules,
(proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acid), enzyme kinetics.
Section 5: Genetics
Principles of Mendelian
inheritance, linkage, recombination, genetic mapping; extrachromosomal
inheritance; prokaryotic and eukaryotic genome organization, regulation of gene
expression, gene mutation and repair, chromosomal aberrations (numerical and
structural), transposons.
Section 6: Plant Breeding and Genetic Modification
Principles, methods – selection, hybridization, heterosis;
male sterility, genetic maps and molecular markers, sporophytic and
gametophytic self incompability, haploidy, triploidy, somatic cell
hybridization, marker-assisted selection, gene transfer methods viz. direct and
vector-mediated, plastid transformation, transgenic plants and their
application in agriculture, molecular pharming, plantibodies.
Section 7: Economic Botany
A general account of economically and medicinally important
plants- cereals, pulses, plants yielding fibers, timber, sugar, beverages,
oils, rubber, pigments, dyes, gums, drugs and narcotics. Economic importance of
algae, fungi, lichen and bacteria.
Section 8: Plant Pathology
Nature and classification of
plant diseases, diseases of important crops caused by fungi, bacteria,
nematodes and viruses, and their control measures, mechanism(s) of pathogenesis
and resistance, molecular detection of pathogens; plant-microbe beneficial
interactions.
Section 9: Ecology and Environment
Ecosystems – types, dynamics, degradation, ecological
succession; food chains and energy flow; vegetation types of the world,
pollution and global warming, speciation and extinction, conservation
strategies, cryopreservation, phytoremediation.
4. Microbiology
Section 1: Historical Perspective
Discovery of microbial world;
Landmark discoveries relevant to the field of microbiology; Controversy over
spontaneous generation; Role of microorganisms in transformation of organic
matter and in the causation of diseases.
Section 2: Methods in Microbiology
Pure culture techniques; Theory
and practice of sterilization; Principles of microbial nutrition; Enrichment
culture techniques for isolation of microorganisms; Light-, phase contrast- and
electron-microscopy.
Section 3: Microbial Taxonomy and Diversity
Bacteria, Archea and their broad
classification; Eukaryotic microbes: Yeasts, molds and protozoa; Viruses and
their classification; Molecular approaches to microbial taxonomy.
Section 4: Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells: Structure and
Function
Prokaryotic Cells: cell walls,
cell membranes, mechanisms of solute transport across membranes, Flagella and
Pili, Capsules, Cell inclusions like endospores and gas vesicles; Eukaryotic
cell organelles: Endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria and
chloroplasts.
Section 5: Microbial Growth
Definition of growth; Growth
curve; Mathematical expression of exponential growth phase; Measurement of
growth and growth yields; Synchronous growth; Continuous culture; Effect of
environmental factors on growth.
Section 6: Control of Micro-organisms
Effect
of physical and chemical agents; Evaluation of effectiveness of antimicrobial
agents. Section 7: Microbial Metabolism
Energetics: redox reactions and electron carriers; An
overview of metabolism; Glycolysis; Pentose-phosphate pathway; Entner-Doudoroff
pathway; Glyoxalate pathway; The citric acid cycle; Fermentation; Aerobic and
anaerobic respiration; Chemolithotrophy; Photosynthesis; Calvin cycle;
Biosynthetic pathway for fatty acids synthesis; Common regulatory mechanisms in
synthesis of amino acids; Regulation of major metabolic pathways.
Section 8: Microbial Diseases and Host Pathogen Interaction
Normal microbiota;
Classification of infectious diseases; Reservoirs of infection; Nosocomial
infection; Emerging infectious diseases; Mechanism of microbial pathogenicity;
Nonspecific defense of host; Antigens and antibodies; Humoral and cell mediated
immunity; Vaccines; Immune deficiency; Human diseases caused by viruses, bacteria,
and pathogenic fungi.
Section 9: Chemotherapy/Antibiotics
General characteristics of
antimicrobial drugs; Antibiotics: Classification, mode of action and
resistance; Antifungal and antiviral drugs.
Section 10: Microbial Genetics
Types of mutation; UV and chemical mutagens; Selection of
mutants; Ames test for mutagenesis; Bacterial genetic system: transformation,
conjugation, transduction, recombination, plasmids, transposons; DNA repair;
Regulation of gene expression: repression and induction; Operon model;
Bacterial genome with special
reference to E.coli; Phage λ and its life cycle; RNA phages; RNA
viruses; Retroviruses; Basic concept of microbial genomics.
Section 11: Microbial Ecology
Microbial interactions; Carbon,
sulphur and nitrogen cycles; Soil microorganisms associated with vascular
plants.
5. Zoology
Section 1: Animal world
Animal
diversity, distribution, systematics and classification of animals,
phylogenetic relationships. Section 2: Evolution
Origin
and history of life on earth, theories of evolution, natural selection,
adaptation, speciation. Section 3: Genetics
Basic Principles of inheritance, molecular basis of
heredity, sex determination and sex-linked characteristics, cytoplasmic
inheritance, linkage, recombination and mapping of genes in eukaryotes,
population genetics.
Section 4: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Nucleic acids, proteins, lipids
and carbohydrates; replication, transcription and translation; regulation of
gene expression, organization of genome, Kreb’s cycle, glycolysis, enzyme
catalysis, hormones and their actions, vitamins.
Section 5: Cell Biology
Structure of cell, cellular
organelles and their structure and function, cell cycle, cell division,
chromosomes and chromatin structure.
Section 6: Gene expression in Eukaryotes
Eukaryotic
gene organization and expression (Basic principles of signal transduction). Section 7: Animal Anatomy and Physiology
Comparative physiology, the respiratory system, circulatory
system, digestive system, the nervous system, the excretory system, the
endocrine system, the reproductive system, the skeletal system, osmoregulation.
Section 8: Parasitology and Immunology
Nature
of parasite, host-parasite relation, protozoan and helminthic parasites, the
immune response, cellular and humoral immune response, evolution of the immune system.
Section 9: Development Biology
Embryonic
development, cellular differentiation, organogenesis, metamorphosis, genetic
basis of development, stem cells.
Section 10: Ecology
The ecosystem,
habitats, the food chain, population dynamics, species diversity,
zoogerography, biogeochemical cycles, conservation biology.
Section 11: Animal Behaviour
Types
of behaviours, courtship, mating and territoriality, instinct, learning and
memory, social behaviour across the animal taxa, communication, pheromones,
evolution of animal behaviour.
6. Food
Technology
Section 1: Food Chemistry and Nutrition
Carbohydrates: structure and functional properties of mono-,
oligo-, & poly- saccharides including starch, cellulose, pectic substances
and dietary fibre, gelatinization and retrogradation of starch. Proteins:
classification and structure of proteins in food, biochemical changes in post
mortem and tenderization of muscles. Lipids: classification and structure of
lipids, rancidity, polymerization and polymorphism. Pigments: carotenoids,
chlorophylls, anthocyanins, tannins and myoglobin. Food flavours: terpenes,
esters, aldehydes, ketones and quinines. Enzymes: specificity, simple and
inhibition kinetics, coenzymes, enzymatic and non- enzymatic browning.
Nutrition: balanced diet, essential amino acids and essential fatty acids,
protein efficiency ratio, water soluble and fat soluble vitamins, role of
minerals in nutrition, co-factors, anti-nutrients, nutraceuticals, nutrient
deficiency diseases. Chemical and biochemical changes: changes occur in foods
during different processing.
Section 2: Food Microbiology
Characteristics
of microorganisms: morphology of bacteria, yeast, mold and actinomycetes,
spores and vegetative
cells, gram-staining. Microbial growth: growth and death kinetics, serial
dilution technique.
Food spoilage: spoilage microorganisms in different food
products including milk, fish, meat, egg, cereals and their products. Toxins
from microbes: pathogens and non-pathogens including Staphylococcus,
Salmonella, Shebelle, Escherichia, Bacillus, Clostridium, and Aspergillums
genera. Fermented foods and beverages: curd, yoghurt, cheese, pickles,
soya-sauce, sauerkraut, idly, dose, vinegar, alcoholic beverages and sausage.
Section 3: Food Products Technology
Processing principles: thermal processing, chilling,
freezing, dehydration, addition of preservatives and food additives,
irradiation, fermentation, hurdle technology, intermediate moisture foods. Food
pack aging and storage: packaging materials, aseptic packaging, controlled and
modified atmosphere storage. Cereal processing and products: milling of rice,
wheat, and maize, parboiling of paddy, bread, biscuits, extruded products and
ready to eat breakfast cereals. Oil processing: expelling, solvent extraction,
refining and hydrogenation. Fruits and vegetables processing: extraction,
clarification, concentration and packaging of fruit juice, jam, jelly,
marmalade, squash, candies, tomato sauce, ketchup, and puree, potato chips,
pickles. Plantation crops processing and products: tea, coffee, cocoa, spice,
extraction of essential oils and oleoresins from spices. Milk and milk products
processing: pasteurization and sterilization, cream, butter, ghee, ice- cream,
cheese and milk powder. Processing of animal products: drying, canning, and
freezing of fish and meat; production of egg powder. Waste utilization: pectin
from fruit wastes, uses of by-products from rice milling. Food standards and
quality maintenance: FPO, PFA, A-Mark, ISI, HACCP, food plant sanitation and
cleaning in place (CIP).
Section 4: Food Engineering
Mass
and energy balance; Momentum transfer: Flow rate and pressure drop relationships for Newtonian fluids
flowing through pipe, Reynolds number. Heat transfer: heat transfer by conduction,
convection,
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