Course

Unit 1

Microbial nutrition and growth: Physical and Nutritional Requirements of Cells – batch, continuous and synchronous cultures, growth kinetics – Control of microbial growth.

Unit 2

Transport mechanisms in prokaryotes: active transport, passive diffusion, facilitated diffusion and group translocation. Mechanism of cell division in bacteria, Min CD system and FtsZ regulation

Unit 3

Prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms: Comparison, Flagella, motility, and process of chemotaxis- uptake and utilization of substrates, Sporulation and germination: Two component signal transduction. Microbial biofilms the physiology and collective recalcitrance of microbial biofilm communities: Quorum sensing and quenching mechanisms. Microbial stress responses: Heat, temperature, pH.

Unit 4

Bioenergetics & Carbohydrate Metabolism: Gibbs free energy, endergonic & exergonic reactions. Standard state free energy changes-?G, ?G0 and ?G’0, Relationship between equilibrium constant and ?G’o, Feasibility of reactions. Simple problems, High energy compounds, Introduction to Metabolism – Catabolism, anabolism, catabolic, anabolic and amphibolic pathways

Aerobic and anaerobic pathways: Glycolysis and its regulation, Gluconeogenesis, and its regulation. TCA cycle, amphibolic & anaplerotic reactions. Electron Transport chain, Oxidative phosphorylation, & production of ATP, balance sheet of glucose oxidation, Oxidative stress., Pentose phosphate pathway (HMP shunt) Photosynthesis– ‘light’ and ‘dark’ reactions

Unit 5

Lipids, Amino Acids & Nucleic Acid Metabolism: Beta – oxidations of saturated fatty acids. Ketone bodies, production during starvation and diabetes Biosynthesis of fatty acids – Acetyl-CoA carboxylase reaction, Fatty acid synthase complex, biosynthesis of palmitate, energetics, Regulation of fatty acid biosynthesis. Biosynthesis of cholesterol, regulation.

Biodegradation of amino acids – deamination, transamination, decarboxylation, urea cycle including its regulation. Biosynthesis of amino acids, Disorders of amino acid metabolism (phenylketonuria, alkaptonuria, biologically active amines Recycling of Purine and Pyrimidine nucleotides by salvage pathways. Lesch-Nyhan syndrome & Gout.

The course provides fundamental understanding about the growth and nutrition requirements of prokaryotes and their adaptation strategies. The course helps the students to understand the different metabolic pathways, energetics, and regulation.

COURSE OUTCOMES:

After completing the course, students shall be able to

CO1. Understand basics of microbial growth requirements.

CO2. Understand physiology of nutrient acquisition, energy generation and cell division regulation in prokaryotes.

CO3. Designate prokaryotic signal transduction network involving physiological processes including chemotaxis and biofilm formation.

CO4. Understand the basics, enzymes involved and energetics of metabolism, the catabolic as well as anabolic pathways of carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids.

CO5. Apply the concepts of metabolism to analyse the feasibility, energetics, regulation, and disorders of metabolism of biomolecules. 

• Willey, Joanne M., Linda Sherwood, Christopher J. Woolverton, Lansing M. Prescott, and Joanne M. Willey. Prescott’s microbiology.11th edition New York: McGraw-Hill, 2020.
• Lehninger, Nelson and Cox, Principles of Biochemistry, 7th Edition, Freeman, W. H. & Company, 2017.
• Donald Voet,?Judith G. Voet,?Charlotte W. Pratt, Fundamentals of Biochemistry: Life at the Molecular Level, Wiley, 5th Edition. 2016