Lecture Schedule

Theory

• Introduction and terminology related to microbial genetics - Historical perspectives in microbial genetics.
• Structure of genetic element in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells - bacteria and yeast and their differences.
• Enzymes related to DNA in bacteria; Plasmids and their types in bacteria.
• Genetic material of bacteriophages.
• Lytic cycle of T2 phages.
• Lysogenic cycle of λ phage, M13, φx174.
• Structure and functioning of genes in bacteria – operon concept.
• Gene expression in bacteria –negative regulation – lac operon.
• MID SEMESTER EXAMINATION.
• Positive regulation of gene expression in bacteria – cyclic AMP.
• Mutation – principle and types
• Mutagens – physical, chemical and biological.
• DNA damage and repair in bacteria.
• Genetic recombinations in bacteria – principles.
• Transformation and Conjugation in bacteria.
• Transduction – generalized and specialized.
• Yeast genetics – mating types, plasmids and mitochondrial inheritance.

Practicals

• Genetic purity and maintenance of bacterial isolates.
• Determination of Intrinsic antibiotic resistance to assess variability.
• Determination of differential carbon utilization to assess variability.
• Isolation of plasmid DNA from E. coli.
• Isolation of megaplasmid from Rhizobium and Agrobacterium.
• Determination of plasmid size by agarose gel electrophoresis.
• Demonstration of plasmid curing.
• Isolation of lytic phages.
• Experiment to demonstrate spontaneous mutation in bacteria.
• Experiment to demonstrate UV mutagenesis in bacteria.
• Experiment to demonstrate chemical mutagenesis in bacteria.
• Development of auxotrophic mutants in bacteria.
• Identification of mutant by replica plating technique.
• Demonstration of transformation in E. coli.
• Experiment to show conjugation in bacteria.
• Genetic variability in Neurospora/ yeast.
• PRACTICAL EXAMINATION.