Post Graduate Diploma in Bioinformatics

Subject description : Some basic aspects of Molecular Biology and Genetics that are
relevant to the course are included in this paper.
Goals: To understand the basic structure of cell, mechanism and regulation of biological
processes fundamental to genome structure and biochemistry.
Objectives: Students completing this paper should be able to understand molecular
biology concept that are basic to bioinformatics.
Unit I :
Biology of cells: Cells as a unit of life, structure of prokayotic and eukaryotic cells. An
overview of organells (Mitochondria, chloroplasts, ER, Golgi, ribosomes, lysosomes and
peroxysomes, nucleus and nucleolus). Differences and similarities in plant and animal
cells. Cellular membrane: structure, transport, channels, carriers, receptors, endocytosis,
membrane potentials.
Unit II:
DNA replication; Transcription and Translation.
Cell-cell interactions and signal transductions: Intercellular junctions, signaling by
hormones and neurotransmitters; receptors, G-proteins, protein kinases and second
messangers.Protein traffic in cells.
Unit III:
Cell Cycle and regulation - Mitosis, Meiosis.
Mutation - Types of mutations, types of mutagenic agents and their molecular
mechanism; DNA repair; Chromosomal types and structure; Mechanism by which
genome undergoes changes, recombination, mutation, inversion, duplication, and
transposition.
UNIT-IV
Molecules of Life: Introduction to carbohydrates-Monosacharides and their derivatives,
Disacharides, Polysacharides.
Proteins -Structure of aminoacids, Different levels of organization-Primary, secondary
tertiary and Quarternary structures.
Nucleic acids - Purines, pyrimidines, Nucleosides and Nucleotides, Different structural
form of DNA, denaturation and renaturation of DNA
Lipids-Structure and function of Fatty acids, Triacylglycerols, sphingolipids, steroids and
glycerophospholipids.
Water, small molecules-Alkaloids, glycosides, phenols, oligopeptides, Flavonoids, and terpenoids
UNIT-V
Enzymes: Units of Activity,coenzymes and metal cofactors, temperature and pH effects,
Michaelis - Menten kinetics, inhibitors and activators, active site and mechanism of
enzyme action, Isoenzymes, allosteric enzymes.
Metabolism of glucose: glycolysis, TCA cycle, glycogenesis, glycogenolysis and
gluconeogenesis, pentophosphate shunt, ETC. Digestion of protein and protein
metabolism, nitrogen balance: transamination, oxidative deamination and urea cycle.
Lipid metabolism: beta oxidation. Interconnection of pathways, metabolic regulations.