Environmental biotechnology utilizes microorganisms to improve environmental quality. These improvements include treatment of contaminated waters and wastewaters, clean up of industrial waste streams, and remediation of soils contaminated with hazardous and toxic chemicals. Environmental biotechnology is essential to society and truly important as a technical discipline.

Polymerase chain reaction PCR and its variant, Agarose gel electrophoresis of plasmid and genomic DNA, Electroelution ,SDS - PAGE of protein from microbes, plants. Mini and bulk preparation of plasmids from E.coli Mini and bulk preparation of genomic DNA from microbes, plants : Restriction mapping of plasmid DNA.

Methods of conventional and non-conventional propagation of flowering plants of agricultural/horticultural value are considered. Current problems relating to plant improvement are highlighted leading to an examination of how hybridisation is prevented naturally and, in the context of plant improvement, effectively bypassed. Other topics include plant tissue culture technologies, micro-propagation and modification of plants using tissue culture; assessment of the relevance and application of these approaches to meet current and future breeding requirements for plants of commercial value.

The fundamental aspects of techniques for DNA cloning, including gene engineering and introduction into host cells. Isolation and detection of specific DNA sequencing. Techniques to engineer domestic plants to improve their productivity and adaptability to the environment.

Conventional methods for crop improvement pedigree breeding, heterosis breeding. Mutation breeding, tissue culture in crop improvement, micropropagation for virus-free plants. Somaclonal variation, somatic hybridization, haploids in plant breeding.

This course will describe the specific fields of Plant Metabolic Engineering (molecular pharming, bioenergy, biopolymers) and basis of the metabolic pathway of the main classes of secondary metabolites in plants: terpenes, alkaloids, flavonoids.In addition, the different engineering strategies using genes encoding enzymes or regulatory genes will be presented and exemplified. The main systems used for the production of valuable secondary metabolites will be described: bioconversions, cell suspensions, hairy root cultures.

Introduction to computers in biology, software and hardware requirements. Databases, internet and databases. Concept of assessing a database on internet, searching a database query and response developing a database ftp.

Introduction to the weak bonds, thermodynamics, equilibrium in molecular recognition and biological functions, proteins, structural organization, conformation and biological function Enzymes, classification and active-site, kinetics and regulation, nucleic acids and genetic material, the structures of DNA and RNA, stereochemistry of bases and secondary structures organization of the nucleic acids and chromatin structure.

Water pH and buffer, chemistry of living matter, protein structure, biomembranes, molecular weight, enzyme kinetics and mechanisms of action, coenzymes and their function, metabolic pathways of carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids, purines and pyrimidines, structure and role of nucleic acid, vitamins, minerals and hormones. Introduction to biochemistry, utilization of carbohydrates and fatty acids for energy, the storage of energy in carbohydrates and fatty acids, the metabolism of amino acids, the structure and role of proteins, the biosynthesis of lipids and biological membranes. In addition the advanced topics in RNA and DNA structures, DNA Replication and DNA Repair, DNA transcription and the many uses of RNA, RNA translation and protein synthesis, regulation of gene expression, enzyme function and hormones and control of mammalian pathways.

Laws of thermodynamics, heat, energy and work, chemical equilibrium, electron microscopy, sedimentation and viscosity, chromatography, electrophoresis, tracer techniques, light scattering and X-ray diffraction, absorption spectroscopy (UV, Visible, Infrared, Raman, NMR, ESR) and their uses, circular dichroism and optical rotatory dispersion principles and applications, microarray technology.

Nature of microbial world, the protests, the prokaryotes: an introductory survey The effect of environment on microbial growth, the relations between structure and function in prokaryotic cells, the viruses, classification of bacteria, the photosynthetic prokaryotes microorganisms as geochemical agents, symbiosis, microbial diseases of plants The exploitation of micro-organisms by man industrial, agricultural, environmental.

Biotechnology for biotic stress tolerance insects, fungi, bacteria, viruses, weeds. Constructing molecular maps, molecular tagging of genes/traits, marker. Assisted selection of qualitative and quantitative traits, insect sex determination, behavior, systematic and evolution, ecology, transgenic beneficiales in IPM.

Type of research, formulating a scientific approach to overcome a problem. Preparing the thesis, literature survey and, writing a scientific article.

The dynamic cell, cell organization, sub-cellular structure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Organelle biogenesis, synthesis and sorting of plasma membrane, transport across cell membranes, eukaryotic cell cycle, signal transduction and regulation. Prokaryotes as genetic systems, sources of variation, methods of genetic analysis and prokaryotic chromosomes Conjugation, transformation and transduction. Eukaryotic genome organization C-value paradox, cot-value, Chromatin structure, Chromosome replication, Structure and organization of eukaryotic genes, rRNA gene, Histone gene, Immunoglobin gene Molecular genetics of photosynthesis, Molecular genetics of nitrogen fixation Molecular genetics of stress.

Principles and methods of experimental design and statistical analysis. Introduction to completely randomized design, Factorial experiments, Latin square, and split -plot design. Correlation and regression.