Biotechnology

Want to know the latest CBSE Class 11 2022 Exam subject-wise syllabus? Here is the complete syllabus for Biotechnology.

The latest CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) unit-wise syllabus for class XI Biotechnology is given below. The syllabus has been designed with the broad objectives of helping learners understand basic facts and concepts related to the subject, acquaint them with the various applications of Biotechnology in everyday life, and most of all, create an interest in the discipline. The theory syllabus is divided into four units.  

Unit-I Biotechnology: An Overview

Chapter 1: Biotechnology: An Overview

Historical Perspectives, Technology and Applications of Biotechnology, Global market and Biotech Products. 

Unit-II Molecules Of Life

Chapter 1: Biomolecules: Building Blocks

Building Blocks of Carbohydrates – Sugars and their Derivatives, Building Blocks of Proteins – Amino Acids, Building Blocks of Lipids – Simple Fatty Acids, Glycerol and Cholesterol, Building Blocks of Nucleic Acids – Nucleotides. 

Chapter 2: Macromolecules: Structure & Function

Carbohydrates – The Energy Givers, Proteins – The Performers, Enzymes – The Catalysts, Lipids and Biomembranes – The Barriers, Nucleic Acids – The Managers

Unit-III Genetics and Molecular Biology

Chapter 1: Concepts of Genetics 

Historical Perspective, Multiple Alleles, Linkage and Crossing Over, Genetic Mapping. 

Chapter 2: Genes and Genomes: Structure and Function

Discovery of DNA as Genetic Material, DNA Replication, Fine Structure of the Genes, From Gene to Protein, Transcription – The Basic Process, Genetic Code, Translation, Mutations, Human Genetic Disorders.

Unit IV: Cells And Organisms

Chapter 1: The Basic Unit of Life 

Cell Structure and Components, Organization of Life 

Chapter 2: Cell Growth and Development

Cell Division, Cell Cycle, Cell Communication, Nutrition, Reproduction, Immune Response in Animals.

GATE Biotechnology Syllabus 2023 

Candidates who have opted for Biotechnology as their subject in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2022 exam should refer to the detailed syllabus given below. The syllabus is divided into 7 sections with various topics under each section. 

Section 1: Engineering Mathematics 

Linear Algebra: 

  • Systems of linear equations
  • Matrices and determinants 
  • Eigen Values and Eigen Vectors

Calculus: 

  • Partial derivatives, maxima and minima
  • Limits, continuity and differentiability
  • Test for convergence 
  • Sequences and series

Differential Equations

  • Laplace Transforms
  • Linear And Nonlinear First Order ODEs, Higher Order ODEs With Constant Coefficients
  • Cauchy’s And Euler’s Equations

Probability And Statistics

  • Poisson, Normal And Binomial Distributions
  • Mean, Median, Mode And Standard Deviation
  • Correlation And Regression Analysis 
  • Random Variables

Numerical Methods:

  • Single Step Method For Differential Equations
  • Solution Of Linear And Nonlinear Algebraic Equations 
  • Integration By Trapezoidal And Simpson’s Rule

Section 2: General Biology 

Biochemistry

  • Enzyme Inhibition – Competitive, Non-Competitive And Uncompetitive Inhibition
  • Basic Concepts And Regulation Of Metabolism Of Carbohydrates, Lipids, Amino Acids And Nucleic Acids
  • Enzyme Kinetics – Michaelis-Menten Equation
  • Photosynthesis, Respiration And Electron Transport Chain 
  • Enzymes – Classification, Catalytic And Regulatory Strategies 
  • Biomolecules – Structure And Function
  • Biological Membranes – Structure, Membrane Channels And Pumps, Molecular Motors, Action Potential And Transport Processes

Microbiology

  • Viruses – Structure And Classification
  • Microbial Growth And Nutrition
  • Microbial Interactions
  • Methods In Microbiology 
  • Bacterial Classification And Diversity
  • Nitrogen Fixation 
  • Microbial Diseases and Host-Pathogen Interactions
  • Microbial Ecology – Microbes In Marine, Freshwater And Terrestrial Ecosystems
  • Antibiotics And Antimicrobial Resistance

Immunology

  • Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)
  • Graft Versus Host Reaction
  • Antibody Structure And Function
  • Molecular Basis Of Antibody Diversity
  • Immune Tolerance 
  • Antigen-Antibody Reaction 
  • Hypersensitivity
  • Primary And Secondary Lymphoid Organs 
  • Innate And Adaptive Immunity, Humoral And Cell Mediated Immunity
  • Immunization And Vaccines
  • Polyclonal And Monoclonal Antibody 
  • Regulation Of Immune Response 
  • Complement
  • Antigen Processing And Presentation
  • Autoimmunity 
  • T Cell And B Cell Development

Section 3: Genetics, Cellular And Molecular Biology

Genetics and Evolutionary Biology:

  • Chromosomal Variation
  • Gene Interaction
  • Complementation
  • Linkage, Recombination And Chromosome Mapping
  • Adaptive And Neutral Evolution
  • Selection And Inheritance 
  • Horizontal Gene Transfer And Transposable Elements 
  • Extra Chromosomal Inheritance
  • Genetic Disorders 
  • Epigenetics
  • Population Genetics
  • Microbial Genetics – Transformation, Transduction And Conjugation
  • Genetic Drift
  • Mendelian Inheritance 
  • Species And Speciation

Cell Biology:

  • Cell Signaling And Signal Transduction
  • Cell-Cell Communication 
  • Prokaryotic And Eukaryotic Cell Structure 
  • Cell Death And Autophagy
  • Protein Trafficking 
  • Cell Cycle And Cell Growth Control
  • Extra-Cellular Matrix
  • Post-Translational Modifications

Molecular Biology

  • RNA Interference
  • Mutations And Mutagenesis
  • Molecular Structure Of Genes And Chromosomes
  • Nucleic Acid – Replication, Transcription, Splicing, Translation And Their Regulatory Mechanisms
  • Non-Coding and Micro RNA 
  • Regulation Of Gene Expression
  • DNA Damage And Repair

Section 4: Fundamentals Of Biological Engineering 

Engineering Principles Applied To Biological Systems

  • Stoichiometry of growth and product formation
  • Recycle, bypass and purge processes 
  • Material and energy balances for reactive and non-reactive systems 
  • Degree of reduction, electron balance, theoretical oxygen demand

Classical Thermodynamics and Bioenergetics

  • Ligand Binding
  • Laws Of Thermodynamics 
  • Energetics Of Metabolic Pathways, Oxidation and Reduction Reactions
  • Phase Equilibria, Reaction Equilibria 
  • Solution Thermodynamics
  • Membrane Potential 

Transport Processes:

  • Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids, Fluid Flow – Laminar And Turbulent
  • Molecular Diffusion And Film Theory 
  • Heat Exchangers
  • Conductive And Convective Heat Transfer, LMTD, Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient 
  • Oxygen Transfer And Uptake In Bioreactor, Kla And Its Measurement
  • Mixing In Bioreactors, Mixing Time

Section 5: Bioprocess Engineering and Process Biotechnology 

Bioreaction Engineering: 

  • Enzyme Immobilization, Diffusion Effects – Thiele Modulus, Effectiveness Factor, Damkoehler Number
  • Optimization And Scale Up
  • Ideal Reactors – Batch, Mixed Flow And Plug Flow 
  • Batch, Fed-Batch And Continuous Processes
  • Kinetics Of Cell Growth, Substrate Utilization And Product Formation
  • Structured And Unstructured Models
  • Rate Law, Zero And First Order Kinetics
  • Microbial And Enzyme Reactors

Upstream And Downstream Processing

  • Media Formulation And Optimization 
  • Cell Disruption
  • Centrifugation – High Speed And Ultra 
  • Principles Of Chromatography – Ion Exchange, Gel Filtration, Hydrophobic Interaction, Affinity, GC, HPLC And FPLC
  • Filtration – Membrane Filtration, Ultrafiltration
  • Extraction, Adsorption And Drying
  • Sterilization Of Air And Media

Instrumentation And Process Control:

  • Types Of Controllers – Proportional, Derivative And Integral Control, Tuning Of Controllers
  • Pressure, Temperature And Flow Measurement Devices
  • Feedback And Feed Forward Control 
  • First Order And Second Order Systems 
  • Valves

Section 6: Plant, Animal And Microbial Biotechnology 

Plants:

  • Plant Growth Regulators And Elicitors
  • Totipotency 
  • Regeneration Of Plants 
  • Transgenic Plants – Direct And Indirect Methods Of Gene Transfer Techniques
  •  Selection Marker And Reporter Gene
  • Plastid Transformation 
  • Production Of Secondary Metabolites 
  • Somaclonal Variation
  • Plant Products Of Industrial Importance 
  • Artificial Seeds 
  • Tissue Culture And Cell Suspension Culture System – Methodology, Kinetics Of Growth And Nutrient Optimization
  • Protoplast, Protoplast Fusion – Somatic Hybrid And Cybrid
  • Hairy Root Culture

Animals

  • Animal Cell And Tissue Preservation
  • Culture Media Composition And Growth Conditions
  • Knockout And Knock-In Animals
  • Anchorage And Non-Anchorage Dependent Cell Culture
  • Kinetics Of Cell Growth
  • Transgenic Animals
  • Micro & Macro-Carrier Culture
  • Stem Cell Technology
  • Hybridoma Technology
  • Animal Cloning

Microbes

  • Large Scale Production And Purification Of Recombinant Proteins And Metabolites 
  • Clinical-, Food- And Industrial- Microbiology
  • Production Of Biomass And Primary/Secondary Metabolites – Biofuels, Bioplastics, Industrial Enzymes, Antibiotics
  • Screening Strategies For New Products

Section 7: Recombinant DNA Technology And Other Tools In Biotechnology 

Recombinant DNA Technology:

  • Vectors – Plasmids, Bacteriophage And Other Viral Vectors, Cosmids, Ti Plasmid, Bacterial And Yeast Artificial Chromosomes
  • Transposons And Gene Targeting
  • cDNA And Genomic DNA Library 
  • Gene Isolation And Cloning, Strategies For Production Of Recombinant Proteins 
  • Restriction And Modification Enzymes
  • Expression Vectors

Molecular Tools: 

  • Southern And Northern Blotting
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction 
  • DNA/RNA Labelling And Sequencing
  • Biosensing And Biosensors 
  • Site-Directed Mutagenesis
  • In-Situ Hybridization
  • DNA Fingerprinting, RAPD, RFLP 
  • CRISPR-Cas
  • Gene Transfer Technologies

Analytical Tools: 

  • Principles Of Microscopy – Light, Electron, Fluorescent And Confocal
  • Immunoassays – ELISA, RIA, Immunohistochemistry
  • Principles Of Spectroscopy – UV, Visible, CD, IR, Fluorescence, FT-IR, MS, NMR
  • Enzymatic Assays 
  • Electrophoresis
  • Micro-Arrays 
  • Whole Genome And ChIP Sequencing
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Immunoblotting

Computational Tools:

  • Knowledge Discovery In Biochemical Databases
  • Sequence And Structure Databases 
  • Functional Annotation
  • Genomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics 
  • Metabolic Engineering And Systems Biology
  • Bioinformatics Resources And Search Tools
  • Gene Prediction
  • Secondary Structure And 3d Structure Prediction
  • Sequence Analysis – Sequence File Formats, Scoring Matrices, Alignment, Phylogeny
  • Metagenomics

Biotechnology is a branch of science that uses biological processes to create new products and services that benefit people’s well-being and the planet’s health. For almost 6,000 years, humans have depended on microbes to preserve dairy and manufacture food products like bread and cheese.

We can employ modern biotechnology to help feed the hungry, decrease pollution, fight debilitating and uncommon illnesses, use less of clean energy, and improve industrial manufacturing processes.

Biotechnology contributes to the healing of the world by harnessing nature’s toolbox and using the genetic make-up to heal and direct research by:

  • reducing infectious disease rates and, thereby, saving millions of children.
  • reducing the risk of severe, life-threatening conditions that affect a large number of people around the world.
  • tailoring treatments to reduce health risks and side effects for individuals.
  • developing more accurate methods for detecting diseases.
  • confronting serious illnesses and daily threats in the developing world.

History of biotechnology

The first agricultural cultures began harnessing biological processes 10,000 years ago. About 6,000 years ago, humans used microorganisms’ biological processes to manufacture bread, alcohol, cheese, and dairy products. But that is not what biotechnology implies today, a term coined in the 1960s and 1970s to describe developing molecular and cellular technologies. In the mid-to-late 1970s, Genentech, established by Robert A. Swanson and Herbert W. Boyer, was at the forefront of the developing “biotech” industry. Companies including Genentech, Amgen, Biogen, Cetus, and Genex were the first to create GE products for medical and environmental applications.

More than a decade ago, genetic engineering dominated the recombinant DNA industry. It is possible to produce large quantities of proteins by splicing the genes of useful proteins (often human proteins) into production cells, and splicing a gene into a production cell results in creating a new organism. Initially, biotechnology investors and researchers were unsure whether courts would allow them to obtain organism patents; after all, patents on newly discovered and identified organisms were not allowed.

In the ‘Diamond v. Chakrabarty’ case, the Supreme Court declared man-made microorganisms patentable. After this decision, the industry saw its first investment boom and a new wave of biotechnology companies. In 1982, recombinant insulin received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the first genetic engineering product. Since then, companies have commercialised many recombinant proteins worldwide, including clotting factors, growth hormones, proteins that increase interferons, red and white blood cell production, and clot-dissolving agents.

Approaches and tools

Initially, biotechnology produced naturally occurring medicinal compounds in greater numbers than human cadavers or animal organs. Recombinant proteins are also less prone to infections and allergies. Biotechnologists are working hard to find the underlying molecular mechanisms of disease so that they can directly intervene at that level. First-generation biotech medicines may use therapeutic proteins to augment the body’s supply or to compensate for genetic deficiencies. Inserting genes encoding needed proteins into a patient’s body is known as gene therapy.

The biotechnology industry is also researching traditional pharmaceuticals and monoclonal antibodies to stop disease progression. Biotechnology’s successful development of monoclonal antibodies took place in the last quarter of the twentieth century. Monoclonal antibodies’ specificity and availability in quantity have facilitated the creation of sensitive assays for a wide range of biologically important substances and the identification of previously unknown marker molecules on their surfaces. Proteins, genes, and the biological pathways through which they act enabled these advancements.

Applications of biotechnology

There are numerous uses for biotechnology, including medicine and agriculture. We can employ biotechnology to combine biological and computer information, examine the use of nanotechnology to enter the human body and possibly use stem cell research and cloning to replace dead or defective cells and tissues. Companies and academic labs combine these disparate technologies to analyse molecules and synthesise chemical pathways, tissues, and organs from molecular biology.

Biotechnology has also proven effective in enhancing industrial processes, environmental remediation, and agricultural output through genetic engineering, all thanks to the discovery and manufacturing of biological enzymes that spark chemical reactions. In other words, there are various applications of biotechnology.

The most controversial biotech applications are in the field of agriculture. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are increasingly present in food supplies, and activists and consumer groups have called for laws requiring the labelling and banning of GMOs. The FDA approved bovine somatotropin (BST) for dairy cows in 1993. The FDA approved the first GMO food the next year: a shelf-stable tomato. Regulatory bodies in the US, Europe, and other nations have approved GMO crops that produce pesticides and can survive specific herbicides to kill weeds.

Scientists at the National Academy of Sciences and other institutions have concluded that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food are safe. The long-term implications of these crops on health and the environment are yet unknown. By 2014, the area planted with genetically modified crops had grown from 1.7 million hectares (4 million acres) in 1996 to an estimated 180 million acres (445 million acres) in 2014. The United States grew genetically modified cotton, corn, and soybeans in 2014–15. Genetically modified crops were primarily grown in America.

Conclusion

The term “biotechnology” refers to various procedures used to modify living organisms for human purposes, including animal domestication, plant cultivation, and “improvements” through breeding programmes that use artificial selection and hybridisation. We also use genetic engineering and cell and tissue culture technologies in modern times. According to the American Chemical Society, we use biological organisms, systems, or processes in biotechnology to enhance the value of materials and organisms, such as pharmaceuticals, crops, and animals. According to the European Federation of Biotechnology, it is the application of natural science and the study of organisms, cells, and molecular analogues to the production of goods and services. As a result, biotechnology provides methods to support and conduct basic biological research.

Biotechnology implies the use of living organisms or enzymes from organisms to supply the merchandise and tactics beneficial to humans. In easy phrases, it’s for the usage of biology to resolve issues and make beneficial merchandise. It is a commercial utility of residing organisms or enzymes and their organic tactics along with biochemistry, microbiology and genetic engineering to make the high-quality use of the microorganisms for humankind’s benefit. The Basic concept for production of curd, bread, and wine, involves  the growing of microorganisms in a medium and includes  biotechnological techniques. For example, in vitro fertilization is the main goal of a test-tube baby, synthesizing a gene and the use of it, growing a DNA vaccine, or correcting a faulty gene are all a part of biotechnology. Before we delve into deeper topics, allow us to apprehend some vital phrases often utilized in biotechnology.

Terms Related to Bio-Technology

TermDescription
Cells
  • The crucial structural and practical unit of all residing organisms.
  • Everything much less than a whole shape of a cellular does now no longer make sure unbiased residing.
  • All creatures are composed of cells. Some are composed of an unmarried cell and are known as unicellular organisms, even as others, like us, composed of many cells, are known as multicellular organisms.
  • Inside each cellular is a dense membrane-sure shape known as the nucleus. It carries the chromosomes, which in turn incorporate the genetic material, DNA.
  • Eukaryotic Cells – have a membrane-sure nucleus.
  • Prokaryotic cells – lack a membrane-sure nucleus.
  • Cytoplasm – this is a semi-fluid matrix that occupies the cellular quantity in each prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell. The cytoplasm is the leading area of cell sports in each plant and animal cell. Numerous chemical reactions occur in the cytoplasm to preserve the cellular state in the ‘homeostasis.’
DNA
  • Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a molecule that accommodates the organic records It makes every species unique.
  • DNA records are exceeded from person organisms to their offspring throughout reproduction.
  • DNA code accommodates 4 forms of chemical constructing blocks, adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine, abbreviated with the letters A, T, C and G.
Gene
  • The practical unit of inheritance.
  • A gene is a nucleic acid segment containing the records important to supply a practical product, commonly a protein.
Vaccination
  • Vaccination is an easy and stable technique of protecting humans in opposition to dangerous illnesses earlier than they touch them.
  •  It makes use of one’s body’s herbal defenses to construct resistance to precise infections and makes their immune system stronger.
Stem cells
  • Special human cells can become many exceptional cellular types. It can vary from muscle cells to mind cells.
  • In a few cases, they also can restore broken tissues.
  • Researchers agree that stem cellular-primarily based remedies might also additionally sooner or later be used to deal with severe ailments along with paralysis and Alzheimer’s disease.
Genetic engineering
  • Direct managing of DNA to modify an organism’s capabilities in a selected way.
  • It involves extracting DNA from an organism’s genome and mixing it with the DNA of some other individual.
Gene remedy
  • Gene remedy is to introduce DNA right into an affected person to deal with a genetic disease.
  • The new DNA commonly carries a functioning gene to accurately assess the consequences of a disease-inflicting mutation.
Genome resource bank
  • It is a frozen repository of organic substances along with sperm and embryos, tissue, blood merchandise, DNA, etc.
  •  It is used as a conservation device for protecting and maintaining biodiversity.
Biopiracy
  • Biopiracy is described because of the unlawful elimination of organic assets without legitimate sanction via means of companies or multinational businesses from the worried countries/much less prosperous humans.
Biosensors
  • It is a brief shape of an organic sensor.
  • Biosensors are gadgets used to locate the presence or awareness of organic material, along with a biomolecule, an organic shape or a microorganism.
  • Depending on their precise utility, biosensors also are referred to as immunosensors, optrodes, resonant mirrors, chemical canaries, biochips, glucometers and biocomputers.
Etical issue with BiotechnologyEthics standards for biotechnology experiments which involve manipulation of Genes of an organism must be regulated by the Governments. For which in India an agency called GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee) makes decisions regarding the ethical standards for GM research and Further analyzes the facts regarding the safety of the ecosystem. For Example, a variety of Rice rich in Vit A have been introduced to mitigate the hunger with nutrition of such a large population. While the approval of BT brinjal still not given by GEAC for the farming as It attracted large agitation by NGO as it will be harmful for the biodiversity and insect population. At the same time BT Cotton was approved by GEAC for commercial cultivation in 2002. After that none of the GM crops is approved by GEAC for commercial cultivation.

Conclusion

The newly born subject, combining biology with modern technology has given many useful products to humans such as medicines, GM crops, etc. Its application could be a major development tool for all countries. Also, biotechnology which is entwined with culture and socio-ethical values, could be used to solve future problems such as food and water insecurity, which obstructs national development and threatens peace in developing countries.

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Frequently asked questions

Get answers to the most common queries related to the UPSC Examination Preparation.

Define the term biotechnology.

Ans. The use of microorganisms and living organisms in molecular biology for advancement of applications in various ...Read full

How is DNA related to biotechnology?

Ans. Deoxyribonucleic acid is a polymer that carries genetic instructions in all living things. It forms a double h...Read full

What is meant by genetic engineering?

Ans. Managing DNA to modify an organism’s capabilities in a selected way. It involves extracting DNA from the ...Read full

Explain the genetic engineering process.

Ans. A circular DNA or plasmid is extracted from a bacteria or yeast cell, a part is cut by it with the use of molec...Read full

What is biopiracy?

Ans. The commercial and unlawful elimination of organic assets without legitimate sanction. It is a serious issue wh...Read full