CSIR Life Science Important Topics
--Must See--

Bioinformatics Summer Internship 2024 With Hands-On-Training + Project / Dissertation - 30 Days, 3 Months & 6 Months Duration

CSIR NET Life Science Important Topics List – Unit Wise

Are You a CSIR NET Life Science Aspirant? Are You planning to write CSIR NET June 2022 & CSIR NET Dec 2022 This year? Confused about where to start your preparation with? To Assist you like always, Biotecnika is here with CSIR NET Life Science Important Topics List, wherein CSIR NET Unit Wise Important Topics to study have been Discussed. If you have started your preparation now, the first thing you must do is go through the CSIR NET life science syllabus first and then come back to this page and check out the list of important topics that you must study for the CSIR NET life science exam. Start studying these topics and after completing these eventually move to the remaining topics in order to cover the CSIR NET syllabus in less time and crack the CSIR NET life science exam this year with a look JRF & LS rank.

Download FREE CSIR NET Sample Notes from BioTecNika

CSIR NET Unit 1 – Molecules and their Interaction Relevant to Biology

List of Important CSIR NET life Science Topics To Study From UNIT 1 is mentioned below:

CSIR NET Life Science UNIT 1 Important Topics
  • Hydrogen bonding and weak interactions (Van Der Waals, hydrophobic and ionic interactions) stabilize the protein and nucleic acid structures
  • Amino acid structure and function, PKA , charge calculation
  • Protein structure and Ramachandran Plot
  • Protein folding thermodynamics, denaturation, and biological function
  • Enzyme: Properties,  kinetics (Vmax, MM equation, km), and inhibition
  • Metabolic pathways of carbohydrates include glycolytic and TCA cycle steps, regulation (specially allosteric and feedback inhibition), enzymes cofactors involved and stoichiometry, ATP calculation, ETC and ATP synthesis(along with inhibitors)
  • pH buffer problems, thermodynamic problems such as delta G calculation
  • Carbohydrate structure (epimers, anomers, glycosidic bond formation and type of bond between di and polysaccharides, Glycosaminoglycan examples and function)
  • Lipid structure (especially membrane lipids)
  • Nucleic acid topology and structure
  • Nucleotide biosynthesis

Unit 2 – Cellular Organization

List of Important CSIR NET life Science Topics To Study From UNIT 2 is mentioned below:

CSIR NET Life Science UNIT 2 Important Topics
  • Membrane Structure and Function
  • Solute transport
  • FRAP
  • Protein targeting
  • Cytoskeletal proteins with their inhibitors
  • Genome organization
  • Unique and repetitive DNA
  • Transposons
  • Cell cycle and its regulation
  • Growth curve


UNIT 3 – Fundamental Processes

List of Important CSIR NET life Science Topics To Study From UNIT 3 is mentioned below:

CSIR NET Life Science UNIT 3 Important Topics
  • DNA Replication: Meselson Stahl Experiment, prokaryotic and eukaryotic replication mechanisms, DNA polymerases and their specific functions, Telomere Replication
  • DNA repair: all types of repair pathways 
  • Transcription: Transcription factors, RNA polymerase structure, and types
  •  Post Transcriptional Processing: capping, polyadenylation, types of RNA splicing, RNA editing
  • Protein Synthesis – Ribosomes and initiation and elongation factors involved, Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases, codons, anticodons, various post-translational modifications 
  • Gene regulation in prokaryotesOperon model and various mutations linked to it.
  • Gene regulation in eukaryotes – Phage gene regulation – Lytic and lysogenic phases and genes expressed. Gene silencing methods, RNAi


UNIT 4 – Cell Communication and Cell Signaling

List of Important CSIR NET life Science Topics To Study From UNIT 4 is mentioned below:

CSIR NET Life Science UNIT 4 Important Topics
  • Signaling pathways – (GPCR, RTK, steroid receptors, Ligand-gated ion channels)
  • Cell adhesion molecules
  • Cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions
  • Apoptosis
  • Protooncogenes, oncogenes, and tumor suppressor genes – the difference with examples,
  • Anticancer drugs,pathogen-induced diseases in animals and plants
  • Antibody structure and types,
  • B cell and T cell activation,
  • MHC
  • Complement proteins
  • cell-mediated cytotoxicity
  • inflammation.


UNIT 5 – Developmental Biology

List of Important CSIR NET life Science Topics To Study From UNIT 5 is mentioned below:

CSIR NET Life Science UNIT 5 Important Topics
  • Terms and terminologies such as induction and competence, specification, differentiation, and determination
  • Types of specification (autonomous, conditional, and syncytial)
  • Gametogenesis with special emphasis on stages and chromosome number
  • Slow block and fast block to polyspermy
  • Fusion of egg and sperm in model organisms like sea urchins, amphibians, and mammals, capacitation
  • Cleavage patterns and examples of organisms in which it takes place
  • Fate maps
  • Gastrulation in chick, amphibian, C. elegans, and sea urchin
  • Amphibian early development ( axis specification, Spemann organizer, the role of B-catenin, BMP, Nodal, etc)
  • Chick early development ( primitive streak, Hensen’s node)
  • Drosophila early development, genes involved like zygotic and maternal
  • Vulva development in c. elegans
  • Eye lens induction invertebrates
  • cAMP signaling in Dictyostelium
  • Limb formation ( hox genes ) FGF role, AER role, Limb regeneration
  • Neurulation
  • All signaling pathways involved in the development
  • Plant development: Double fertilization, flower development (genes involved)


UNIT 6 – System Physiology – Plant

List of Important CSIR NET life Science Topics To Study From UNIT 6 is mentioned below:

CSIR NET Life Science UNIT 6 Important Topics
  • Phytohormones- All the plant hormones’ precursors, biosynthesis and function, signaling pathways
  • Stomatal opening and closure by various triggers.
  • Solute transport, Water potential concept.
  • Photosynthesis – C2, C3, C4, CAM pathway, TCA, photorespiration, oxidative phosphorylation, cyclic and noncyclic photophosphorylation,
  • Biotic and abiotic stress – Plant’s detailed mechanisms for adapting to different stress conditions.
  • ABC model of the flowering plant, flowering genes in plants,
  • Nitrogen cycle and nodule formation: nod genes, bacteria in nitrogen fixation
  • Secondary metabolites and their synthesis pathway, terpenes, isoprene derived molecules
  • Sensory photobiology – phytochrome, cryptochrome, phototropin, photoperiodism, short-day plants, long-day plants, behavior and response of a plant to different colored lights.


UNIT 7 – System Physiology – Animal

List of Important CSIR NET life Science Topics To Study From UNIT 7 are mentioned below:

CSIR NET Life Science UNIT 7 Important Topics
  • Blood clotting
  • ECG graph
  • gaseous exchange hemoglobin
  • oxygen saturation curves
  • left and right shift, action potential, and neurotransmitters
  • sense organs – structure and function of different parts of the ear.
  • Structure of nephron and its function
  • role of hormones in water balance
  • endocrinology-different hormone, their function, and diseases associated with their overproduction and underproduction
  • reproduction hormones in processes such as gametogenesis and ovulation

Benefits Of Writing CSIR NET Exam – Career Scope After CSIR NET Exam

UNIT 8 – Inheritance Biology

List of Important CSIR NET life Science Topics To Study From UNIT 8 is mentioned below:

CSIR NET Life Science UNIT 8 Important Topics
  • Mendelian ratios
  • Probability in genetics
  • Extensions of Mendelian principles (Terms like 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 mapping, tetrad analysis, physical mapping)
  • Microbial genetics (Transduction, conjugation, sex-duction, mapping genes by interrupted mating)
  •  Pedigree Analysis(Calculation of risk, LOD score)
  • Structural and numerical alterations of chromosomes (Deletion, duplication, inversion, translocation, ploidy, and their genetic implications)
  •  Mutations 


UNIT 9 – Diversity of Life Forms

List of Important CSIR NET life Science Topics To Study From UNIT 9 is mentioned below:

CSIR NET Life Science UNIT 9 Important Topics
  • alpha-beta-gamma taxonomy
  • Hierarchical taxa
  • binomial nomenclature
  • different protozoan and bacterial diseases
  • common parasite and pathogens for different hosts
  • questions are asked about the causative organisms with respective diseases
  • the evolutionary relationships among taxa (graphical or phylogenetic tree, common ancestor based questions expected)
  • rare and endangered species and their conversation strategies. This last topic is common with Ecology as well.


UNIT 10 – Ecological Principles

List of Important CSIR NET life Science Topics To Study From UNIT 10 is mentioned below:

CSIR NET Life Science UNIT 10 Important Topics
  • Global warming potential (GWP) Ecogeographical rules
  • Pyramids of energy and population
  • Thermal stratification in the lentic ecosystem
  • Population Ecology – r and k selection, survivorship curves, population characteristics and regulation, population growth curves, metapopulation.
  • Ecosystem ecology – types and mechanisms of succession, primary production, Gross Primary Productivity, Net Primary productivity, decomposition
  • Biosphere reserves and sanctuaries in different states of India
  • environmental pollution, monitoring, its effects on biodiversity, Project Tiger.
  • Major biomes of the world.
  • Structure and components of different types of ecosystems like terrestrial, forest, grassland, and aquatic.
  • Niche concept


UNIT 11 – Evolution and Behavior

List of Important CSIR NET life Science Topics To Study From UNIT 11 is mentioned below:

CSIR NET Life Science UNIT 11 Important Topics
  • Evolutionary Time Scale. Major Events in the evolutionary time scales
  • Molecular tools in phylogeny- terms and phylogenetics tree
  • The mechanism- H-W equilibrium ( concept and numericals)
  • Speciation
  • Altruism and Kin selection ( concept and numericals)
  • Parental investment and Reproductive success; Parental care; 
  • Evolutionary theories and Scientists’ names


UNIT 12 – Applied Biology

List of Important CSIR NET life Science Topics To Study From UNIT 12 is mentioned below:

CSIR NET Life Science UNIT 12 Important Topics
  • Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer
  • Transgenic plants and animals
  • Plant tissue culture and animal tissue culture techniques
  • Vaccines
  • Gene therapy
  • Molecular markers
  • Marker-Assisted selection breeding


UNIT 13 – Methods in Biology

List of Important Topics To Study From UNIT 13 is mentioned below:

CSIR NET Life Science UNIT 13 Important Topics
  • Molecular Biology & Recombinant DNA Methods: Cloning, Bacterial, Plant, Animal vectors (Plasmid, BAC, YAC, Cosmid), DNA Manipulating enzymes (Restriction endonuclease, Ligase), DNA Modifying enzymes, Genomic & cDNA Libraries, Molecular Markers (RFLP, RAPD, AFLP, SSR), Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE, Isoelectric focussing), DNA & Protein Sequencing, In-vitro mutagenesis, Gene Knock-out, Microarrays.
  • Immunotechniques: Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Radioimmunoassay (RIA), Western Blotting, Flow Cytometry, Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS), Immunofluorescence microscopy, Immunoprecipitation, FISH & GISH
  • Biophysical Methods: UV-Visible Spectroscopy (Beer-Lambert’s Law), Mass Spectrometry, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Fluorescence Spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Circular Dichroism
  • Statistical Methods: Probability Distribution (Binomial, Normal, Poisson), Parametric & Non-Parametric Test (ANOVA, t-test), X2 test
  • Radiolabeling techniques: Different Types of Radioisotopes used in Biology, Radioisotope Decay (Alpha, Beta, Gamma emission), Half-life.
  • Microscopic Techniques: Basic Terms (Magnification, Resolution, Refractive Index, Numerical Aperture, Ernst Abbe’s Equation), Light Microscope (Phase-contrast, Fluorescence, Confocal microscope), SEM, TEM, Fixation & Staining techniques, Freeze-etch & Freeze-fracture methods for EM.
  • Electrophysiological Methods: Single neuron recording, Patch-clamp recording, ECG, Brain activity recording, PET, MRI, fMRI, CAT

Once you have mastered these important topics, move on to the remaining topics if you still have time left until the exam excluding the revision time of at least a month. Covering the entire CSIR NET syllabus is not important to crack the CSIR NET life science exam. The key mantra which the CSIR NET toppers also follow is to cover the important topics with concepts thoroughly clear, accompanies by an ample amount of revision.

If you want to Study & Revise Important Topics Faster & Better Check Out the Latest Innovation By Biotecnika which has been liked & bought by 1000+ Students so far – CSIR NET Koncept Notes.

CSIR NET JEET Batch Starts from 4th April 2022 With FREE Bioinformatics Internship

Only a Few Seats Left – Register Now

Fill Up the form below to download CSIR NET Koncept Notes Sample + CSIR NET Starter Kit

Download FREE CSIR NET Sample Notes

Perfection is her hobby, Reliability is a synonym, Editing is her passion, Excellence is her Goal, Tactfulness is in her genes, Yellow is her Fav color. Preety is the name of the Professional on whom entire BioTecNika relies when it comes to its website. A Gold Medalist in Biotech from SRM University, Chennai with a 9.9 CGPA ( was awarded the Gold Medal by Honorable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi , as seen in the pic ), She decided to join forces with BioTecNika to ensure India's largest BioSciences Portal expands its reach to every city in India. She has redesigned the new avatar of BioTecNika from scratch and heads the most dynamic, vibrant and well informed Online Team at Biotecnika Info Labs Pvt Ltd

1 COMMENT

Comments are closed.