GRE Biochemistry Subject Test – Syllabus
According to experts, biochemistry is one of the toughest subjects to deal with in subject GRE test as it has a vast syllabus or content that you have to cover. The subject GRE biochemistry test is divided into different topics and sub-topics in the manner given below. Biochemistry as a subject comprises of Cell Biology, Molecular Biology and Genetics. Among these, the first part, Biochemistry, carries 36% marks, the second part, Cell Biology carries 28% and Molecular Biology and Genetics carries 36% marks.
I. BIOCHEMISTRY — 36%
A. Chemical and Physical Foundations:
- Thermodynamics and kinetics
- Water, pH, buffers and acid-base reactions
- Redox states
- Solute-solvent interactions
- Solutions and equilibria
- Chemical reaction mechanisms
- Chemical interactions and bonding
B. Structural Biology: Structure, Assembly, Organization, and Dynamics
- Small molecules
- Supramolecular complexes (for example, ribosomes, membranes, and multi-enzyme complexes)
- Macromolecules (such as, polysaccharides, nucleic acids, complex Lipids, proteins)
C. Catalysis and Binding
- Ligand-protein interaction (such as, substrates and effectors, hormone receptors, transport proteins, antigen-antibody interactions, etc.)
- Enzyme reaction mechanisms, kinetics
D. Major Metabolic Pathways
- Carbon, sulfur assimilation and nitrogen
- Catabolism
- Anabolism
- Degradation of macromolecules and Synthesis
E. Bioenergetics (includes photosynthesis and respiration)
- Electron transport
- Energy transformations at substrate level
- Energy coupling (phosphorylation, transport)
- Proton, chemical gradients
F. Regulation and Integration of Metabolism
- Covalent modification of enzymes
- Compartmentation
- Allosteric regulation
- Hormones
G. Methods
- Isotopes
- Spectroscopy
- Immunotechniques
- Separation techniques (chromatography, electrophoresis and centrifugation)
II. CELL BIOLOGY — 28%
Methods and importance of cellular biology, such as fluorescence probes and imaging, will be covered as appropriate within the context of the content below.
A. Cellular Compartments of Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes: Organization, Dynamics, and Functions
- Cellular membrane systems (structure and transport)
- Mitochondria and chloroplasts (including biogenesis and evolution)
- Nucleus (envelope and matrix)
B. Cell Surface and Communication
- Extracellular matrix (including cell walls)
- Excitable membrane systems
- Signal transduction
- Cell adhesion and junctions
- Receptor function
C. Cytoskeleton, Motility, and Shape
- Regulation of assembly, disassembly of filament systems
- regulation and diversity, Motor function,
D. Protein, Processing, Targeting, and Turnover
- Translocation across membranes
- Intracellular trafficking
- Posttranslational modification
- Protein turnover
- Secretion and endocytosis
E. Cell Division, Differentiation, and Development
Meiosis and gametogenesis
- Mitosis, Cell cycle and cytokinesis
- Fertilization and early embryonic development
III. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICS — 36%
A. Genetic Foundations
- Transformation, transduction, and conjugation
- Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance
- Recombination and complementation
- Genetic mapping and linkage analysis
- Mutational analysis
B. Chromatin and Chromosomes
- Inversions, deletions, translocations, and duplications
- Karyotypes
- Structure
- Aneuploidy and polyploidy
- Epigenetics
C. Genomics
- Genome structure
- Repeated DNA and gene families
- Physical mapping
- Gene identification
- Bioinformatics
- Transposable elements
- Proteomics
D. Genome Maintenance
- DNA damage and repair
- DNA replication
- DNA recombination and gene conversion
- DNA modification
E. Gene Expression
- Transcription/transcriptional profiling
- The genetic code
- Translation
- RNA processing
F. Gene Regulation
- Positive and negative control of the operon
- Attenuation and anti-termination
- Promoter recognition by RNA polymerases
- Cis-acting regulatory elements
- Gene rearrangements and amplifications
- Trans-acting regulatory factors
G. Viruses
- Virus assembly
- Genome replication and regulation
- Virus-host interactions
H. Methods
- Nucleic acid blotting and hybridization
- Restriction maps and PCR
- Sequencing and analysis
- DNA cloning in prokaryotes and eukaryotes
- Transgenic organisms
- Protein-nucleic acid interaction
- Microarrays