University of Calcutta

Syllabus for

B. Sc. (Multidisciplinary) Program in

Molecular Biology

Under

CURRICULUM AND CREDIT FRAMEWORK (CCF, 2022)

Submitted

by

The Under-Graduate Board of Studies in Molecular Biology

UGBoS (MLBG)

University of Calcutta

2023
 Course outline and scope

Molecular biology is a fascinating area of knowledge that strives to explain in molecular

detail how all life on Earth functions and because of its advanced scope, is of enormous
scientific importance and practical utility. Unfortunately, because of the details involved,
sometimes students lose the big picture and fall upon memorizing the facts.

This course has been designed to provide a simple overview of molecular biology
without introducing too many details and with a stress on illustrating how it can solve
real-life problems.

Molecular biology is inherently an interdisciplinary subject combining biochemical and

molecular biophysics concepts and techniques. The basis of life is biological molecules
and their interactions. After completing this course, the student will have a basic but
thorough understanding of how proteins and enzymes function on the basis of their amino
acid makeup, what is the importance of water for biomolecular and cellular functioning,
and what are the functions of carbohydrates, lipids and membranes. The course will also
explain the molecular basis of heritability, the concepts of genes and genomes, and how
they are constructed from nucleic acids. Where appropriate, the course will also explain
how these molecules function together at the cellular and organismic level.
 Detailed syllabus
(The first six core courses of the full syllabus will be taught in the minor program)

Semester I

MLBG-MD-CC-1: Cell Biology - Principles and Techniques (3 + 1 = 4 credits)

Learning objectives

After attending this course, the student should be able to

1. identify cells as the basic unit of life

2. explain the composition of essential structures found in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
and describe their functions

3. explain the construction of a virus particle

4. explain the importance of water for physiological processes and the concept of a buffer

5. tell about the various types of interactions governing physiological processes

6. explain the functioning principles of light and electron microscopes

MLBG-MD-CC-1-Th. Cell Biology - Principles and Techniques (Theory) (3 credits)

Unit 1: Domains of life. Biology of cells (12 hours)

Cells as basic functional unit of life, cellular classification (three domains, i.e. eubacteria,
archaebacteria, eukaryotes) (1 hr)

Prokaryotic cell organization: Prokaryotic cell structure, bacterial cell walls (2 hrs)

Eukaryotic cell organization: Brief idea of structure and function of plasma membrane, nucleus,
endoplasmic reticulum, golgi apparatus, mitochondria, chloroplast, lysosome, peroxisome,
cytosol, plant cell wall, plant cell vacuole. (6 hrs)

Viruses, range of sizes, constitution, organization (1 hr)

Brief idea of cell cycle (recapitulation of mitosis and meiosis ) (2 hrs)

Unit 2: Molecules, minerals and water (15 hrs)

Importance of the carbon molecule (valency, chiral carbon, types of isomer) (2hrs)

Concept of intra- and intermolecular interaction (covalent bond, ionic bond, hydrogen bond,
hydrophobic interaction, van der Waals interaction, coulomb interaction ). Role of weak forces in
biology. (8 hrs)

Structure of water, Henderson-Hasselbalch equation and its significance, concept of pH / pKa,

isoelectric pH (pI) and buffers. (5hrs)

Unit 3: Microscopy techniques (18 hours)

Optical microscopy, the nature of light—its particle and wave character. Ray diagrams and image
formation.(4 hours)

Simple and compound microscopes, Applications of optical microscopes, Numerical Aperture

(NA) Resolution, Contrast, depth of field and depth of focus, Angular magnification, Spherical
aberration, Chromatic aberration of optical system (definitions only). Mathematical expression
for limit of resolution in terms of Rayleigh criteria. Empty magnification.(6 hours)

Basic principles of oil immersion microscope. Limitations of optical microscopes.(2 hours)

Electron microscopy---basic working principle, advantages of electron microscope over optical

microscope, Optical Microscopy vs. TEM, Electrostatic and magnetostatic electron microscopes,
Relation between the applied voltage and wavelength of electrons.(6 hours)

MLBG-MD-CC-1-Pr (1 credit/25 marks)

1. Determination of refractive index of a given biological sample by traveling microscope

2. Determination of relative sizes of nucleus and cytoplasm of squamous cells

3. Preparation of phosphate buffer and measurement of pH

4. Negative staining of bacteria using nigrosin

5. Gram staining of bacteria

Suggested Reading

1. De Robertis, EDP and De Robertis EMF. (2006) Cell and Molecular Biology. 8th edition.
Lipincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia.

2. Cooper, GM and Hausman, RE (2009). The Cell: A Molecular Approach. 5th Edition. ASM
Press & Sunderland, Washington, D.C.; Sinauer Associates, MA.

3. Tymoczko JL, Berg JM and Stryer L (2012) Biochemistry: A short course, 2nd ed.,
W.H.Freeman

4. Nelson DL and Cox MM (2008) Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, 5th Edition., W.H.
Freeman and Company

5. Voet D and Voet JG (2004) Biochemistry 3rd edition, John Wiley and Son

6. Sharma VK (1991) Techniques in microscopy and cell biology. Tata McGraw Hill

7. Reimer L and Kohl H (2008) Transmission electron microscopy. Springer.

 Semester II

MLBG-MD-CC-2. Biological Macromolecules (3 + 1 = 4 credits)

Learning objectives

After attending this course, the student should be able to

1. describe the structures and the chemical properties of the 20 amino acids.
2. describe the structure and the chemical properties of carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic
acids (RNA and DNA).
3. describe the four levels of protein structure and explain how protein structure is
influenced by the amino acid sequence.

MLBG-MD-CC-2-Th. Biological Macromolecules (Theory) (3 credits)

Unit 1: Molecular building blocks (16 hours)

Carbohydrate: Structure, function and properties of monosaccharides (hexoses and pentoses),

disaccharides (sucrose, lactose, maltose). ( 4 hrs)

Lipids: Definition and classification of lipids, structure and function of fatty acids, storage lipids,
structural lipids. ( 4 hrs)

Amino acids: structure of twenty amino acids, classification, titration curve of amino acids,
concept of zwitterionic structure, physical and chemical properties. (6 hours)

Nucleic acids: Ribonucleic and deoxyribonucleic acids, purines and pyrimidines, nucleosides and
nucleotides. (2 hrs)

Unit 2: Proteins and nucleic acids (16 hours)

Proteins: classification of proteins on the basis of composition, conformation and function,

different level of structural organization of proteins (primary, secondary, tertiary & quaternary),
forces stabilizing protein structure and shape, physical and chemical properties. Domains and
motifs (10 hours)

Nucleic acids: Secondary structure of nucleic acids. Watson and Crick model, A and B forms,
Supercoiled and relaxed DNA. (6 hrs)

Unit 3: Polysaccharides and membranes (13 hours)

Storage & structural polysaccharides (glycogen, starch and cellulose). (6 hrs)

Roles of lipids in membrane structure. Fluid mosaic model of membrane structure. (7 hrs)

MLBG-MD-CC-2-Pr (1 credits/25 marks)

1. Qualitative tests for amino acids and proteins.

2. Qualitative tests for reducing and non-reducing sugars, polysaccharides, lipids.

3. Identification of unknown compounds (from sugars, polysaccharides, lipids, amino acids and
proteins).

Suggested Reading

1. Sharma, DK (2013) Biochemistry. Narosa Publishing House

2. Nelson DL and Cox MM (2008) Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, 5th Edition., W.H.
Freeman and Company

3. Voet, D and Voet JG (2004) Biochemistry 3rd edition, John Wiley and Sons.

4. Tymoczko JL, Berg JM and Stryer L (2012) Biochemistry: A short course, 2nd ed., W. H.
Freeman
INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSE
MLBG-MD-ID-1-Th. Biostatistics without fear (3 credits)

Learning objectives

After attending this course, the student should be able to

1. properly organize experimental data and describe its salient features.

2. explain what is a normal distribution
3. understand how to estimate population parameters from samples
4. explain and apply the concepts of statistical significance and p-value
5. do correlation and regression analysis.

Unit 1. Simple data analysis (17 hrs)

Making sense of your data: What is statistics? Descriptive and inferential statistics. How to
collect a sample?
Describing your sample: Statistical variables. Error, accuracy, and approximations.
Summarizing your Data: Tables and diagrams. Central tendencies. Dispersion.
How does your data look? Distributions. The shape of a distribution. Skewed distributions. The
normal distribution.

Unit 2. Estimates and inferences from your data (17 hrs)

How to go from samples to the population? The logic behind sampling. Sample-means and
population-mean. Estimation of other parameters.
How to compare samples? From the same or different populations? Tests of significance.
Significance of significance.

Unit 3. Relationships in your data (11 hrs)

Paired values. Kinds of correlation. The strength of a correlation. Correlation coefficients.
Interpreting correlation coefficients. Predicting based on your data. Regression analysis.

Suggested Reading

1. Pezzullo JC (2013) Biostatistics for dummies. John Wiley & Sons.

2. Rowntree D (2004) Statistics without tears. Pearson.

SKILL ENHANCEMENT COURSE

MLBG-MD-SEC-1. Basics of Molecular Diagnostics (3+1 credits)

Learning objectives

After attending this course, the student should be able to

1. understand the best practices to be followed in a laboratory setting

2. explain the mechanisms of some of the major infectious and non-infectious diseases
3. explain the principles of a number of important and widely-used laboratory diagnostic
tests
4. have hands on experience of how to carry out simple laboratory diagnostic tests

MLBG-MD-SEC-1-Th. Basics of Molecular Diagnostics (Theory) (3 credits)

Unit 1. Laboratory practices (6 hrs)
Biosafety practices, laboratory area flow, and practices to minimize contamination.

Unit 2. Mechanisms of infectious and non-infectious diseases (20 hrs)

Idea about the features of pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms. Mechanisms of
pathogenicity: entry, colonization, course of infectious disease, duration of symptoms
Ideas about major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) — cardiovascular diseases, diabetes,
cancer.
What is diabetes? What are the different types of diabetes? How to test for diabetes?
What are the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases? How to diagnose hypertension?
What is cancer? What are the major risk factors? Screening strategies for cancer.
Unit 3. Diagnostic methods (20 hrs)
Nucleic acid-based methods: Extraction methods, basic extraction steps, and nucleic acid
analysis. Principles of PCR based diagnostic methods.
Protein-based methods: General properties and importance of clinically important enzymes like
SGOT, SGPT, alkaline phosphatase and creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase. Principles
involved in their tests.
MLBG-MD-SEC-1-Pr. Basics of Molecular Diagnostics (Practical) (1 credit)

1. Isolation of pure culture by streak plate technique.

2. Antibiotic sensitivity assay by paper disc method.

3. Preparation of blood smear and Differential Leucocyte Count (D.L.C) using Leishman's stain,

4. Count platelets from peripheral blood smears.

Suggested Reading

1. Iles RK and Docherty SM (Ed.s) (2012) Biomedical Sciences. Essential Laboratory Medicine.
Wiley-Blackwell

2. Wilson K and Walker J (Ed.s) (2010) Principles and Techniques of Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology. Cambridge University Press