UGC-CSIR-DBT NET 2025: Revised Syllabus for Life Sciences & Biotechnology (LS-BT) – JRF & Lectureship

Since its inception in 1983, the CSIR UGC JRF-NET has been a prestigious national examination in the Life Sciences. Now, a major reform is underway. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), both under the Ministry of Science & Technology, are merging their separate JRF-NET exams in Life Sciences and Biotechnology into a single, unified exam: Life Sciences and Biotechnology (LS & BT).

This integration aims to streamline the syllabus, remove overlaps, and align the exam with current scientific developments. It represents a significant step toward harmonizing research opportunities in these disciplines. Alongside the revised syllabus, notable changes in the exam pattern are also anticipated. These changes will be implemented as per the details provided in the upcoming official notification.

Unit 1: Structure and Function of Biomolecules

• A. Structure of atoms, molecules and chemical bonds.
• B. Composition, structure and function of biomolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids and vitamins).
• C. Stabilizing interactions (van der Waals, electrostatic, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interaction, etc.).
• D. Principles of biophysical chemistry (pH, buffer, reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, colligative properties).
• E. Bioenergetics, glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, coupled reactions, group transfer, biological energy transducers.
• F. Principles of catalysis, enzymes and enzyme kinetics, enzyme regulation, mechanism of enzyme catalysis, isozymes.
• G. Conformation of proteins (Ramachandran plot, secondary structure, domains, motif and folds).
• H. Conformation of nucleic acids (Structural characteristics of A, B and Z DNA; RNA conformation).
• I. Stability of proteins and nucleic acids.
• J. Metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, nucleotides and vitamins.

Unit 2: Cellular Organization

Cell Wall and Membrane Structure & Function

Structure in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, lipid bilayer, membrane proteins, diffusion, osmosis, ion channels, active transport, pumps, sorting, and electrical properties.

Intracellular Organelles

Nucleus, mitochondria, Golgi bodies, lysosomes, ER, peroxisomes, plastids, vacuoles, chloroplasts, cytoskeleton and its role in motility.

Genes and Chromosomes

Operon model, unique and repetitive DNA, interrupted genes, gene families, chromatin and chromosome structure, heterochromatin, euchromatin, transposons.

Cell Division and Cycle

Mitosis and meiosis, regulation, phases of cell cycle, apoptosis, necrosis, autophagy.

Microbial Physiology

Growth kinetics, cell division strategies, stress response, antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Unit 3: Fundamental Processes

DNA Replication, Repair and Recombination

Unit of replication, enzymes, origins, forks, fidelity, replicons, DNA damage and repair, homologous and site-specific recombination.

RNA Synthesis, Processing and Regulation

Transcription mechanisms, inhibitors, transcription factors, RNA polymerases, RNA processing (capping, splicing, editing, polyadenylation), types of RNA, ribozymes, riboswitches, RNA transport, non-coding RNAs.

Protein Synthesis, Processing and Degradation

Ribosome structure and function, translation, post-translational modifications, inhibitors, trafficking, and degradation.

Gene Expression Regulation

Regulation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, chromatin remodeling, gene silencing, epigenetics.

Unit 4: Cell Communication and Signaling

Cell Signaling

Hormones and receptors, GPCRs, signal transduction, second messengers, regulatory pathways, two-component systems in bacteria/plants, light signaling, chemotaxis, quorum sensing.

Cellular Communication

Adhesion molecules, gap junctions, ECM, integrins, neurotransmission, haematopoiesis regulation.

Innate and Adaptive Immunity

Immune cells and molecules, antigen-antibody interaction, epitopes, antibody structure/diversity, monoclonal antibodies, MHC, antigen presentation, B/T cell activation, immune responses, complement system, hypersensitivity, autoimmunity, immunodeficiencies, vaccines.

Host-Pathogen Interaction

Pathogen recognition, host cell entry, manipulation, virus transformation, plant/animal pathogenesis, cell fusion events.

Cancer Biology

Oncogenes, tumor suppressors, genetic rearrangements, virus-induced cancers, metastasis, cancer–host interactions, therapeutic strategies.

Unit 5: Developmental Biology

Basic Concepts of Development

Potency, commitment, specification, induction, competence, determination and differentiation, morphogenetic gradients, cell fate and cell lineages, stem cells, genomic equivalence and cytoplasmic determinants, imprinting, mutants and transgenics in developmental analysis.

Gametogenesis, Fertilization and Early Development

Production of gametes, cell surface molecules in sperm-egg recognition in animals, zygote formation, cleavage, blastula, embryonic fields, gastrulation, and germ layer formation.

Plant Reproduction and Embryogenesis

Male gametophyte development, embryo sac development, double fertilization, embryogenesis, symmetry establishment, seed formation, embryo-endosperm development, and germination.

Morphogenesis and Organogenesis in Animals

Dictyostelium cell aggregation, pattern formation in Drosophila, amphibians, chick; vulva formation in C. elegans, eye lens induction, limb development, regeneration, neuronal differentiation, post-embryonic development, environmental regulation, sex determination.

Morphogenesis and Organogenesis in Plants

Organization of shoot/root apical meristem, shoot/root/leaf development, phyllotaxy, floral meristem transition, and organogenesis.

Programmed Cell Death, Aging, and Senescence

Mechanisms and roles in animals and plants.

Unit 6: System Physiology – Plant

Photosynthesis

Light-harvesting complexes, electron transport mechanisms, photoprotection, CO₂ fixation pathways (C3, C4, CAM).

Respiration and Photorespiration

Citric acid cycle, mitochondrial ATP synthesis, alternative oxidase, photorespiratory pathway.

Nitrogen Metabolism

Nitrate/ammonium assimilation, amino acid biosynthesis, biological nitrogen fixation.

Plant Hormones

Biosynthesis, storage, breakdown, transport, physiological effects, and mechanisms of hormone action.

Sensory Photobiology

Light perception, function of phytochromes, cryptochromes, phototropins, stomatal movement, photoperiodism, circadian clock.

Solute Transport & Photoassimilate Translocation

Uptake and movement of water, ions, solutes, and macromolecules across membranes, xylem, phloem, transpiration, loading/unloading mechanisms.

Secondary Metabolites

Biosynthesis of terpenes, phenolics, alkaloids, phenylpropanoids, nitrogenous compounds; roles and metabolic engineering in plants.

Stress Physiology

Plant responses to biotic/abiotic stresses, physiological and molecular aspects, innate immunity.

Unit 7: System Physiology – Animal

Blood and Circulation

Blood cells, haemopoiesis, plasma function, blood volume regulation, groups, haemoglobin, immunity, haemostasis.

Cardiovascular System

Heart anatomy, myogenic heart, ECG principles, cardiac cycle, pumping mechanism, blood pressure, regulation (neural/chemical).

Respiratory System

Species comparison, gas transport/exchange, neural and chemical regulation, waste elimination.

Nervous System

Neuron structure, action potential, brain and spinal cord anatomy, CNS/PNS, muscle tone/posture control.

Sense Organs

Mechanisms of vision, hearing, and tactile response.

Excretory System

Comparative physiology, kidney function, urine formation/concentration, waste elimination, micturition, water and electrolyte balance, acid-base regulation.

Thermoregulation

Comfort zone, body temperature control – physical, chemical, and neural regulation, acclimatization.

Stress and Adaptation

Responses and physiological mechanisms to adapt to stress.

Digestive System

Structure and function across species.

Endocrinology and Reproduction

Endocrine glands, hormone mechanisms, related diseases, reproductive processes, gametogenesis, ovulation, neuroendocrine regulation.

Concept of Metaorganisms / Holobionts

Gut microbiome roles, germ-free animal models, gut-brain axis, dysbiosis and its link to diseases.

Interorgan Communication & Energy Homeostasis

Metabolic health, signaling across organs, and related disorders.

Unit 8: Inheritance Biology

Chromosomal and Extrachromosomal Inheritance

Principles of Mendelian inheritance, codominance, incomplete dominance, penetrance and expressivity, gene interactions, pleiotropy, genomic imprinting, linkage and cross-over, sex-linked inheritance, mitochondrial and chloroplast gene inheritance, maternal inheritance.

Genes and Mutations

Allele, multiple alleles, pseudoallele, complementation tests; mutation types, causes and detection; mutant types – lethal, conditional, biochemical, loss-of-function, gain-of-function, dominant-negative; germinal vs. somatic mutations.

Genetic Analysis

Linkage maps, molecular marker mapping in plants, animals and bacteria, tetrad analysis, gene transfer in bacteria – transformation, conjugation, transduction, sex-duction, fine structure gene analysis, mapping population development in plants.

Human Genetics

Pedigree analysis, LOD score for linkage testing, karyotyping, genetic disorders.

Quantitative Genetics

Population genetics, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, polygenic inheritance, heritability and measurements, molecular mapping.

Chromosomal Alterations

Structural and numerical changes: recombination, deletion, duplication, inversion, translocation, ploidy and their genetic implications.

Unit 9: Evolution and Diversity of Life Forms

Evolution of Life and Life Forms

Origin of life, evolution of cellular structures, multicellularity, mechanisms of evolution – natural selection, genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, speciation, extinction events, adaptive radiation, convergent evolution, coevolution, evolutionary arms races, human evolution.

Principles & Methods of Taxonomy

Species concepts, hierarchical taxa, biological nomenclature, classical and quantitative taxonomy methods for plants, animals, and microbes.

Microbial Life

Diversity and roles of Bacteria and Archaea; virus structure, replication, impact on life; economic and pathological importance of microbes.

Protists

Algae, protozoa, slime molds, water molds, ecological roles of protists.

Fungi

Fungal group diversity: chytrids, zygomycetes, glomeromycetes, ascomycetes, basidiomycetes; important plant and human fungal pathogens.

Plant Life

Diversity and evolution of bryophytes, ferns, gymnosperms, angiosperms; plant morphology, anatomy, and reproduction.

Animal Life

Evolutionary relationships and key features of invertebrates and vertebrates.

Unit 10: Ecology and Behavioral Biology

Introduction to Ecology

Ecological organization: individual to biosphere; abiotic and biotic factors; ecological adaptations.

Population Ecology

Growth models: exponential, logistic; density-dependent/independent factors, life tables, survivorship curves, age structure, sex ratio, life strategies (r/K-selected), metapopulations and fragmentation effects.

Community Ecology

Food webs, trophic levels, keystone species, species interactions (competition, predation, mutualism, parasitism), succession and community stability.

Ecosystem Ecology

Energy flow: primary production, energy pyramids; biogeochemical cycles: carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, water; ecosystem services and human impacts.

Human Impacts on Ecosystems

Anthropogenic changes: land use, climate change, pollution, invasive species.

Biodiversity and Conservation

Importance and threats to biodiversity, IUCN threat categories, conservation genetics, PVA, ex-situ and in-situ strategies, indigenous knowledge, policies and legislation.

Acts and Policies

Biodiversity Act 2002, agricultural biodiversity, PGRFA treaty, seed gene bank strategies, PPVFR, conservation under climate change.

Behavioural Ecology

Animal behavior: proximate/ultimate causes, foraging, communication, conflict, aggression, migration, navigation, social behavior, sexual selection, mating systems, parental care.

Unit 11: Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Major Bioinformatic Resources

Sequence databases, gene expression databases, 3D structure databases, pattern sequence databases.

Basic Concepts of Sequence Analysis

Database searches (BLAST, FASTA), sequence similarity, homology types (orthologs, paralogs), repeats, scoring matrices, pairwise and multiple sequence alignment, phylogeny, comparative genomics.

Gene Annotation

Gene function prediction using homology, structure, context, and networks; genetic variation, polymorphism, deleterious mutations, phylogenetics.

Molecular Modelling and Dynamics

3D structure visualization and simulation, molecular mechanics, force fields, modeling basics.

Protein 3D Structure Analysis

Protein anatomy, secondary/tertiary prediction, comparative modeling, fold recognition, threading, ab initio methods, AI-based predictions (e.g., AlphaFold).

Drug Design

Chemical databases (NCI, PUBCHEM), receptor-ligand interactions, structure-based and ligand-based design, SAR, QSAR, pharmacophores, ADMET predictions.

Systems Biology

Data science in biology and medicine, modeling metabolic pathways, digital health, personalized medicine, drug discovery tools.

Unit 12: Biochemical Engineering & Industrial Biotechnology

Introductory Mathematics

Calculus review, ordinary differential equations (including higher order), linear algebra, numerical methods.

Engineering Principles

Material & energy balances (steady-state), substance properties, intro to transport phenomena (momentum, heat, mass transfer), mass transfer equipment overview.

Thermodynamics in Biological Systems

1st & 2nd laws, open non-equilibrium systems, limitations of classical thermodynamics, thermodynamic flux & force, entropy production, coupled biochemical reactions, oxidative phosphorylation analysis, glycolytic oscillations, biological clocks.

Bioprocess Engineering & Technology

Microbial growth principles, kinetics in batch/fed-batch/continuous systems, bioreactor types, sterilization, mass & energy balances, oxygen transfer, agitation, fluid rheology, fermentation for antibiotics/acids/alcohol/bioplastics/vitamins/enzymes, steroid biotransformation, process flow & economics.

Enzyme & Microbial Technology

Enzyme function in non-aqueous solvents, biocatalysts, enzyme engineering, immobilization (enzymes/whole cells), reactor design, kinetic considerations, diffusional resistance, Thiele modulus.

Downstream Processing

Biomass removal/disruption, precipitation, membrane purification, adsorption/chromatography, solvent/aqueous two-phase/supercritical extraction, drying techniques.

Bioprocess Plant Design

Design basics, process flow, scale-up/down challenges, equipment selection & specs.

Metabolic Engineering & Synthetic Biology

Expanded overview of pathway redesign and synthetic constructs in cells.

Unit 13: Advances in Biotechnology

Recombinant DNA Technology

Molecular cloning, recombinant protein expression, in vitro mutagenesis/deletions, gene knockouts, genome editing, protein/DNA sequencing, genome sequencing strategies, gene expression analysis.

Medical Biotechnology

Immunology-based therapies (autoimmunity, transplantation, tumor immunology), stem-cell/cell-based vaccines, diagnostics, adjuvants, immunotherapy, r‑DNA treatment, phage display, tissue engineering.

Stem Cell Technology & Organoids

iPSCs, guided differentiation, drug screening, disease models, self-organizing 3D organoid systems.

Neurobiology

Brain electrophysiology, behavioral testing methods.

Medical Devices & Biosensors

Design and application of implants, point-of-care sensors.

Animal Biotechnology

Transgenic animal development, germplasm conservation, molecular diagnostics, cell/tissue culture, molecular surgery.

Agricultural Biotechnology

Transgenic plants, diagnostic techniques, genomics, ESTs, molecular markers, marker-assisted breeding, GE crop impacts, plant cell culture, plantibodies.

Marine Biotechnology

Marine organism diversity, resource assessment, microbial metabolites, seafood microbiology, biofilms, marine pharmacology, environmental protection.

Environmental Biotechnology

Wastewater treatment, pollution control, biosurfactants, biofertilizers, biopesticides, biofuels, bioremediation, phytoremediation.

Unit 14: Methods in Biology

Molecular Biology Techniques

Isolation, separation, analysis of DNA/RNA/proteins/carbohydrates/lipids via chromatography, electrophoresis, centrifugation.

Biophysical Methods

Spectroscopy (UV/Vis, fluorescence, CD, NMR, ESR), structural analysis (X‑ray diffraction, cryo‑EM, NMR), light scattering, mass spectrometry, SPR.

Omics Technologies

Genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics: genome structure, comparative genomics, expression profiling, protein networks, metabolic profiling, DNA fingerprinting/barcoding, single-cell omics.

Radiolabeling Techniques

Radioisotope detection, incorporation in tissues, molecular imaging, safety protocols.

Histochemical & Immunotechniques

Antibody generation and detection (ELISA, RIA, Western blot, IP, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence), in situ localization (FISH, GISH).

Microscopy Techniques

Light microscopy, advanced imaging, resolving power, live-cell microscopy, SEM/TEM, sample prep.

Electrophysiological Methods

Single neuron/patch-clamp recordings, ECG, brain activity (PET, MRI, fMRI, CT), lesion/stimulation, pharmacologic testing.

Field Biology Methods

Population estimation, behavioral sampling, habitat characterization, remote sensing.

Statistical Methods

Precision vs. accuracy, signal‑to‑noise ratio, central tendency, distributions, sampling, parametric/nonparametric tests, confidence intervals, regression/correlation, t‑test, ANOVA, χ², intro to multivariate analysis.

IPR, Biosafety & Bioethics

IPR types and patent databases; biosafety levels, regulatory guidelines; animal & research ethics, publication ethics, plagiarism, ethical AI use.