CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus 2023: Download Subject-wise Syllabus PDF

CSIR NET Exam Pattern 2023

Part

Detailed Syllabus

Total Questions

Minimum Question to be Attempted

Total Marks

A

General Science, Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis and Research Aptitude

20

15

30

B

Subject Concerned

50

35

70

C

Based on scientific concepts and/or application of the scientific concepts

75

25

100

Topics

Sub-Topics

Numerical Ability

Number and Simplification, Average, Quadratic Equations, Sequence and Series, Surd and Indices, Logarithms, Percentage, Profit and Loss, Simple Interest & 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 & Mode, Measures of Dispersion, Graphical Analysis: Bar Graph, Line Graph, Pie-Chart, Tabulation

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus for Cellular Organization

Topics

Sub-topics

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 – Molecules and their Interaction Relevant to Biology

Principles of biophysical chemistry

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)

Structure of atoms, chemical bonds, and molecules

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

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

B Composition, structure, and function of biomolecules

Stability of proteins and nucleic acids

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

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

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus 2023 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 for 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 Syllabus Life Science for System Physiology – Animal

Blood and circulation

Cardiovascular System

Respiratory system

Nervous system

Sense organs

Excretory system

Thermoregulation

Digestive system

Endocrinology and reproduction

Stress and adaptation

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus for 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 2023 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 

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, energy flow and mineral cycling, ecosystem function, primary production & decomposition, and structure & function of some Indian ecosystems: terrestrial and aquatic.

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus 2023 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.