Composition of living matter: Biological macromolecules: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids .
Living organisms: Characteristics of living organisms. The kingdoms of living organisms. Differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Virus: structure, replication and types. Viroids and prions.
Components of the prokaryotic cell: cell wall, flagella, cell membrane, cytoplasm, genetic material. Bacteria: composition , movement, reproduction ( binary fission, transformation, conjugation, transduction), metabolism.
Components of the eukaryotic cell: cytoplasmic organelles (rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria, lysosomes, peroxisomes) and the nucleus (nuclear pores, nucleolus and chromatin). Cytoskeleton: microtubules, microfilaments and intermediate filaments. Cell junctions (desmosomes, tight junctions, gap junctions).
Structure and function of biological membranes. Cell-environment interactions. Mechanisms of transport across the membrane: simple and facilitated diffusion, active transport and passive (sodium-potassium pump), exocytosis and endocytosis. Receptor-mediated endocytosis. Mechanism of action of steroid hormones and peptide hormones (second messengers and signal transduction). DNA double-helix structure and replication. Various levels of organization of DNA in the cell: nuclear chromatin and chromosome structure. Eukaryotic gene structure. RNA: structure, function and types. Transcription and RNA processing. Genetic code. Protein synthesis. Gene regulation in prokaryotes (lactose operon and tryptophan operon). Gene regulation in eukaryotes. Genes and development. Cell differentiation and nuclear equivalence. The genetic control of development.
Energy metabolism:
The cell and energy. The flow of energy. Metabolic reactions. Role of ATP and cellular work. Energy metabolism. Cellular respiration: glycolysis, Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Photosynthesis.
Elements of Genetics: Cell cycle and its regulation. Mitosis and Meiosis stages and differences. Mendel's laws: dominance, segregation of alleles, independent assortment of alleles. Concept of the gene, locus, allele, genotype and phenotype. Extensions of Mendelian genetics. Mode of transmission of characters (autosomal dominant, recessive, X-linked ).
Ecosystems: population and community ecology. Ecosystems and the biosphere.