CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus 2023 - Download Syllabus PDF

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus - General Aptitude

Numerical Ability

Number and Simplification; Average; Quadratic Equations; Sequence and Series; Surd and Indices; Logarithms; Percentage; Profit and Loss; Simple Interest and Compound Interest; Partnership; LCM and HCF; Probability; Mensuration.

Reasoning

Series Formation; Ranking and Arrangement; Puzzles; Coding-Decoding; Distance and Directions; Calendar and Clock.

Data Interpretation, and Graphical Analysis

Mean, Median, and Mode; Measures of Dispersion; Graphical Analysis: Bar Graph, Line Graph; Pie-Chart; Tabulation.

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus - Molecules and their Interaction

Molecules and their Interaction Relevant to Biology

Structure of atoms, chemical bonds, and molecules.

Principles of biophysical chemistry (pH, buffer, thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, colligative properties).

Principles of catalysis, enzymes and enzyme kinetics, enzyme regulation, mechanism of enzyme catalysis, isozymes.

Confirmation of proteins (Ramachandran plot, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure; motif and folds; domains).

Stabilizing interactions ( hydrogen bonding, Van der Waals, electrostatic, hydrophobic interaction, etc.).

Bioenergetics, oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis, coupled reaction, biological energy transducers, group transfer.

Metabolism of carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids, nucleotides, and vitamins.

Conformation of nucleic acids (helix (A, B, Z), micro-RNA, t-RNA).

B Composition, structure, and function of biomolecules (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and vitamins).

Stability of proteins and nucleic acids.

Composition, structure, and function of biomolecules (carbohydrates, nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and vitamins).

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus - Cellular Organization

Membrane structure and function

Structure of model membrane, lipid bilayer, and membrane protein diffusion, ion channels, osmosis, active transport, mechanism of sorting and regulation of intracellular transport, ion pumps, electrical properties of membranes. 

Structural organization and function of the intracellular organelles

Cell wall, nucleus, Golgi bodies, mitochondria, lysosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, plastids, peroxisomes, vacuoles, chloroplast, structure and function of the cytoskeleton, and its role in motility.

Organization of genes and chromosomes

Operon, interrupted genes, the structure of chromatin and chromosomes, gene families, unique and repetitive DNA, heterochromatin, transposons, and euchromatin.

Cell division and cell cycle

Mitosis and meiosis, their regulation, control of the cell cycle, and steps in the cell cycle.

Microbial Physiology

Growth, yield, characteristics, stress response, strategies of cell division.

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus - Fundamental Processes

DNA replication, repair, and recombination

Unit of replication, replication origin, replication fork, enzymes involved, extrachromosomal replicons, the fidelity of replication, DNA damage, and repair mechanisms, homologous and site-specific recombination.

RNA synthesis and processing

Transcription factors and machinery, transcription activator and repressor, formation of initiation complex, RNA polymerases, elongation, capping and termination, RNA processing, RNA editing, splicing, and polyadenylation, structure, and function of different types of RNA, RNA transport.

Protein synthesis and processing

Ribosome, aminoacylation of tRNA, tRNA-identity, aminoacyl tRNA synthetase, translational proof-reading, translational inhibitors, Post-translational, formation of initiation complex, initiation factors and their regulation, elongation and elongation factors, termination, genetic code, modification of proteins.

Control of gene expression at the transcription and translation level

Regulating the expression of phages, prokaryotic, viruses, and eukaryotic genes, the role of chromatin in gene expression, and gene silencing.

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus - Cell Communication and Cell Signaling

Host-parasite interaction

Recognition and entry processes of pathogens like bacteria, and viruses into animal and plant host cells, pathogen-induced diseases in animals and plants, alteration of host cell behavior by pathogens, virus-induced cell transformation, and cell-cell fusion in both normal and abnormal cells.

Cell signaling

Hormones and their receptors, regulation of signaling pathways, bacterial and plant two-component systems, light signalling in plants, cell surface receptors, signaling through G-protein coupled receptors, signal transduction pathways, second messengers, bacterial chemotaxis, and quorum sensing.

Cellular communication

Regulation of hematopoiesis, gap junctions, extracellular matrix, integrins, general principles of cell communication, cell adhesion and roles of different adhesion molecules, neurotransmission, and its regulation.

Cancer

Genetic rearrangements in progenitor cells, virus-induced cancer, metastasis, the interaction of cancer cells with normal cells, apoptosis, oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, cancer, and the cell cycle, therapeutic interventions of uncontrolled cell growth.

The innate and adaptive immune system

Cells and molecules are involved in innate and adaptive immunity, antigens, antigenicity, and immunogenicity. B and T cell epitopes, structure, and function of antibody molecules. Generation of antibody diversity, monoclonal antibodies, antibody engineering, antigen-antibody interactions, humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, primary and secondary immune modulation, the complement system, MHC molecules, antigen processing and presentation, activation and differentiation of B and T cells, B and T cell receptors, Toll-like receptors, cell-mediated effector functions, inflammation, hypersensitivity and autoimmunity, immune response during bacterial (tuberculosis), parasitic (malaria) and viral (HIV) infections, congenital and acquired immunodeficiencies, vaccines.

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus - Development Biology

Basic concepts of development

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

Gametogenesis, fertilization, and early development

Production of gametes, cell surface molecules in sperm-egg recognition in animals; embryogenesis, the establishment of symmetry in plants; seed formation and germination. Embryo sac development and double fertilization in plants; zygote formation, cleavage, blastula formation, embryonic fields, gastrulation, and formation of germ layers in animals.

Morphogenesis and Organogenesis in Animals

Cell aggregation and differentiation in Dictyostelium; differentiation of neurons, post-embryonic development- larval formation, metamorphosis; axes and pattern formation in Drosophila, amphibia, and chick; organogenesis–vulva formation in Caenorhabditis elegans, eye lens induction, limb development and regeneration in vertebrates; environmental regulation of normal development; sex determination.

Morphogenesis and organogenesis in plants

Organization of shoot and root apical meristem; leaf development and phyllotaxy; shoot and root development; transition to flowering, floral meristems, and floral development in Arabidopsis and Antirrhinum.

Programmed cell death, senescence, and aging

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus - System Physiology: Plant

Photosynthesis

Light-harvesting complexes; photoprotective mechanisms; mechanisms of electron transport; CO2 fixation-C3, C4, and CAM pathways.

Respiration and photorespiration

Citric acid cycle; alternate oxidase; plant mitochondrial electron transport and ATP synthesis; photorespiratory pathway.

Nitrogen metabolism

Nitrate and ammonium assimilation; amino acid biosynthesis.

Plant hormones

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

Sensory photobiology

Structure, function, and mechanisms of action of phytochromes, cryptochromes, and phototropin; photoperiodism and biological clocks; stomatal movement.

Solute transport and photoassimilate translocation

Uptake, transport, and translocation of water, across membranes, ions, solutes, and macromolecules from soil, cells, xylem, and phloem; transpiration; mechanisms of loading and unloading of photoassimilates.

Secondary metabolites

Biosynthesis of terpenes, phenols, and nitrogenous compounds and their roles.

Stress physiology

Responses of plants to biotic (pathogen and insects) and abiotic (water, temperature, and salt) stresses.

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus - System Physiology: Animal

Blood and circulation

Blood corpuscles, blood volume, blood volume regulation, blood groups, hematopoiesis and formed elements, plasma function, hemoglobin, immunity, and hemostasis.

Cardiovascular System

Comparative anatomy of heart structure, myogenic heart, specialized tissue, ECG – its principle and significance, cardiac cycle, blood pressure, heart as a pump, neural and chemical regulation of all above.

Respiratory system

Comparison of respiration in different species, anatomical considerations, waste elimination, transport of gases, exchange of gases, neural and chemical regulation of respiration.

Nervous system

Neurons, central and peripheral nervous system, action potential, gross neuroanatomy of the brain and spinal cord, neural control of muscle tone and posture.

Sense organs

Vision, hearing, and tactile response.

Excretory system

Comparative physiology of excretion, regulation of water balance, blood volume, blood pressure, kidney, urine formation, urine concentration, waste elimination, micturition, electrolyte balance, and acid-base balance.

Thermoregulation

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

Digestive system

Digestion, energy balance, absorption, BMR.

Endocrinology and reproduction

Endocrine glands, the basic mechanism of hormone action, hormones, and diseases; ovulation, reproductive processes, gametogenesis, and neuroendocrine regulation.

Stress and adaptation

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus - Inheritance Biology

Mendelian principles

Dominance, independent assortment, segregation.

Concept of a gene

Pseudo allele, Allele, multiple alleles, complementation tests.

Extensions of Mendelian principles

Codominance, incomplete dominance, gene interactions, pleiotropy, genomic imprinting, penetrance and expressivity, phenocopy, linkage and crossing over, sex linkage, sex-limited, and sex-influenced characters.

Gene mapping methods

Linkage maps, tetrad analysis, mapping with molecular markers, mapping by using somatic cell hybrids, and development of mapping population in plants.

Extrachromosomal inheritance

Inheritance of Mitochondrial and chloroplast genes, maternal inheritance.

Microbial genetics

Methods of genetic transfer transformation, mapping genes by interrupted mating, conjugation, transduction, and sex-duction, fine structure analysis of genes.

Human genetics

Pedigree analysis, lod score for linkage testing, karyotypes, genetic disorders.

Quantitative genetics

Polygenic inheritance, heritability, and its measurements, QTL mapping.

Mutation

Types, causes, and detection, mutant types – lethal, conditional, biochemical, loss of function, the gain of function, germinal vs somatic mutants, insertional mutagenesis.

Structural and numerical alterations of chromosomes

Deletion, duplication, ploidy, inversion, translocation, and their genetic implications.

Recombination

Homologous and non-homologous recombination, including transposition.

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus - Diversity of Life Form

Principles and Methods of Taxonomy

Biological nomenclature, classical and quantitative methods of the taxonomy of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Concepts of species and hierarchical taxa.

Levels of a structural organization

Unicellular, colonial, and multicellular forms. Comparative anatomy, adaptive radiation, adaptive modifications. Levels of organization of tissues, organs, and systems.

Outline classification of plants, animals, and microorganisms

Important criteria are used for classification in each taxon. Classification of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Evolutionary relationships among taxa.

Natural history of the Indian subcontinent

Major habitat types of the subcontinent, geographic origins, and species migrations. Common Indian birds, and mammals. Seasonality and phenology of the subcontinent.

Organisms of Health and agricultural importance

Common parasites and pathogens of humans, domestic animals, and crops.

Organisms of conservation concern

Conservation strategies, Rare, endangered species.

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus - Ecological Principles

The Environment

Physical environment; biotic environment; biotic and abiotic interactions.

Habitat and Niche

Concept of habitat and niche; niche width and overlap; fundamental and realized niche; resource partitioning; character displacement.

Population Ecology

Characteristics of a population; population growth curves; population regulation; life history strategies; the concept of metapopulation – demes, and dispersal, age-structured populations; intergenic extinctions.

Species Interactions

Types of interactions, interspecific competition, carnivory, pollination, herbivory, symbiosis.

Community Ecology

Nature of communities; levels of species diversity and its measurement; community structure and attributes; edges and ecotones.

Conservation Biology

Principles of conservation, major approaches to management, Indian case studies on conservation/management strategy (Project Tiger, Biosphere reserves).

Applied Ecology

Environmental pollution; global environmental change; biodiversity: major drivers of biodiversity change; status, monitoring, and documentation; biodiversity management approaches.

Ecological Succession

Types; changes involved in succession; mechanisms; the concept of climax.

Biogeography

Major terrestrial biomes; biogeographical zones of India; theory of island biogeography.

Ecosystem Ecology

Ecosystem structure; ecosystem function; energy flow and mineral cycling (C, N, P); structure and function of some Indian ecosystems: terrestrial (forest, grassland) and aquatic (freshwater marine, estuarine); primary production and decomposition.

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus - Evolution and Behavior

Paleontology and Evolutionary History

The evolutionary time scale; Eras, periods, and epoch; Major events in the evolutionary time scale; Major groups of plants and animals; Origins of unicellular and multicellular organisms; Stages in primate evolution including Homo.

The emergence of the evolutionary thoughts

Darwin–concepts of variation, adaptation, struggle, fitness, and natural selection; Lamarck; Mendelism; Spontaneity of mutations; The evolutionary synthesis.

The Mechanisms

Population genetics-Populations, Gene pool, Gene frequency; Hardy-Weinberg Law; concepts and rate of change in gene frequency through natural selection, migration, and random genetic drift; Adaptive radiation; Isolating mechanisms.

Origin of cells and unicellular evolution

Origin of basic biological molecules; Abiotic synthesis of organic monomers and polymers; Evolution of unicellular eukaryotes; Anaerobic metabolism, photosynthesis, and aerobic metabolism; The first cell; Evolution of prokaryotes; Origin of eukaryotic cells.

Brain, Behavior, and Evolution: 

Approaches and methods in the study of behavior; Neural basis of learning, memory, cognition, sleep, and arousal; Biological clocks; Development of behavior; Proximate and ultimate causation; Altruism and evolution-Group selection, Kin selection, Reciprocal altruism; Social communication; Social dominance; Use of space and territoriality.

Molecular Evolution

Concepts of neutral evolution, molecular divergence, and molecular clocks; Protein and nucleotide sequence analysis; origin of new genes and proteins; Molecular tools in phylogeny, classification, and identification; gene duplication and divergence.

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus - Applied Biology

Applied Biology

Microbial fermentation and production of small and macromolecules.

Biosensors.

Bioremediation and phytoremediation.

Breeding in plants and animals, including marker-assisted selection.

Transgenic animals and plants, molecular approaches to diagnosis and strain identification.

Genomics and its application to health and agriculture, including gene therapy.

Bioresource and uses of biodiversity.

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus - Methods in Biology

Histochemical and Immunotechniques

Antibody generation, Detection of molecules using ELISA, RIA, western blot, detection of molecules in living cells, immunoprecipitation, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence microscopy, and in situ localization by techniques such as FISH and GISH.

Statistical Methods

Measures of central tendency and dispersal; Confidence Interval; Errors; Levels of significance; probability distributions (Binomial, Poisson, and normal); Sampling distribution; Difference between parametric and non-parametric statistics; Regression and Coration; t-test.

Molecular Biology and Recombinant DNA Methods

Isolation and purification of RNA, DNA (genomic and plasmid), and proteins, different separation methods. Analysis of RNA, DNA, and proteins by one and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, Isoelectric focusing gels.

Biophysical Method

Molecular analysis using UV/visible, fluorescence, circular dichroism, Molecular analysis using light scattering, NMR, and ESR spectroscopy, Molecular structure determination using X-ray diffraction and NMR, different types of mass spectrometry, and surface plasmon resonance methods.

Microscopic techniques

Visualization of cells and subcellular components by light microscopy, resolving powers of different microscopes, microscopy of living cells, scanning and transmission microscopes, different fixation and staining techniques for EM, freeze-etch, and freeze-fracture methods for EM, and image processing methods in microscopy.

Radiolabeling techniques

Detection and measurement of different types of radioisotopes normally used in biology, incorporation of radioisotopes in biological tissues and cells, molecular imaging of radioactive material, and safety guidelines.

Electrophysiological methods

Single neuron recording, patch-clamp recording, lesion and stimulation of the brain, ECG, Brain activity recording, pharmacological testing, PET, MRI, fMRI, CAT.

Subject

Total Weightage

Negative Marking

Marking Scheme

Life Science

200

Part A: -0.5

Part A: +2

Part B: -0.5

Part B: +2

Part C: -1

Part C: +4