CSIR NET Life Science Important Topics to Score Good

CSIR NET Life Science

According to the CSIR NET exam pattern, students who choose Life Science as a subject for the Paper-II exam have to attempt 145 questions which will be divided into 3 parts which will be Part A, Part B, and Part C. Students always get worried about the way they must attempt the questions and what are the most important topics that they need to be cover first? Students must also understand the difficulty level topic-wise and start their preparation accordingly. In this article, we will share all the essential topics that will be very important regarding your Life Science examination. Strategy for the preparation can be planned according to these crucial topics. The difficulty level of the exam changes every year. So planning according to this can lead to clearing this prestigious exam quickly.

The entire Life Science syllabus is divided into 13 sections, and each section has different relevancy according to the exam. So understanding the relevant and highly relevant topics is a must for every student.

List of Important Topics for CSIR NET Life Science

You can find the important topics for CSIR NET Life Science Exam mentioned below: 

1. Molecules and their Interaction Relevant to Biology:

Biomolecules - 

• Amino acids and protein structures
• Carbohydrates
• Nucleic acid structure & biosynthesis
• Lipid biosynthesis and oxidation

Enzyme -

• kinetics and inhibition
• Enzyme cofactor and vitamins

Metabolism -

• Glycolysis TCA cycle regulatory step enzymes
• Electron transport chain
• Cholesterol Biosynthesis
• Fatty acid oxidation

2. Cellular Organisation: 

Cell Cycle Regulation -

• Different CDKs and Cyclins
• Regulation of CDKs
• CDK inhibitors
• DNA damage and cell cycle

Membrane potential - 

• Different pumps
• Action potential generation
• Techniques

Protein translocation -

• Secretory and cytosolic pathway
• Different signals for translocation

Cell Signaling and Junction -

• GPCR, RTK
• Cell ECM and cytoskeleton component

3. Fundamental Processes: 

DNA Replication -

• Enzymes and proteins involved in DNA replication
• Mechanism of DNA pol enzyme
• Role of Mg++ ions
• Leading and lagging strand synthesis
• Comparisons between PK and EK replication

Transcription -

• Different RNA polymerase and their promoter
• (PK and EK)
• Post Transcriptional modification

Translation -

• Comparison between initiation of translation in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms
• Antibiotics effecting translation

DNA Damage and Repair

• Different types of DNA damage and repair mechanism

4. Cell Communication and Cell Signaling: 

Innate Immunity -

1. Cells of innate immune cells
2. PAMPS and PRR ( TLRs)
3. Inflammation

Adaptive immunity -

1. B cell and T cells development and receptors
2. Humoral immune response and antibody
3. Cell-mediated immunity

Other topics -

1. Complement system
2. Antigen processing and presentation
3. Autoimmunity and Hypersensitivity
4. Immune response to various pathogen

5. Development Biology: 

• Commitment
• Potency
• Vulva formation
• Eye lens induction
• Regeneration
• Limb development

6. System Physiology - Plants:

Photosynthesis -

• Pigment system
• Cyclic and noncyclic photophosphorylation
• C3 cycle ( Rubisco main)
• C2, CAM C4 cycle

Movement via Xylem & Phloem -

• Phloem loading and unloading   
• Transpiration (stomata opening and closing)

Other topics -

• Nitrogen metabolism
• Photoperiodism
• Secondary metabolites
• Plant hormones

7. System Physiology - Animals: 

Endocrinology -

• Hormones synthesis and action
• Hormone cycle

Other Topics -

• Execratory system
• Respiratory system
• Nervous system

8. Inheritance Biology: 

• Linkage
• Recombination
• Non-allelic gene interaction
• Lod score
• Mutation
• Pedigree analysis

9. Diversity of Life Forms: 

• Rare, endangered species.
• Conservation strategies
• Common Indian mammals, birds.
• Taxonomy of plants, animals and microorganisms

10. Ecological Principles: 

• Lotka Volterra model
• Island biogeography
• Species diversity
• Population density calculation
• Community ecology

11. Evolution and Behavior: 

• Lamarck; Darwin–concepts of variation
• Experiment of Miller
• Eras, periods and epoch
• Molecular tools in phylogeny
• Convergent and divergent evolution
• Altruism and evolution-Group selection
• Kin selection
• Migration, orientation, and navigation

12. Applied Biology: 

• Microbial fermentation
• Tissue and cell culture methods for plants and animals.
• Transgenic animals and plants
• Bioremediation and phytoremediation

13. Methods in Biology: 

• Genetic engineering
• Gel electrophoresis
• Microscopy
• Statistics
• Histochemical analysis
• Various interactions between biomolecules and their analysis