Introduction to Cell Biology

1. Techniques in Cell Biology
   1. Microscopy
      1. Light Microscopy
         1. Brightfield Microscopy
            1. Basic principles
            2. Applications
         2. Phase Contrast Microscopy
            1. Visualization of live cells
            2. Principle of refractive index
         3. Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy
            1. Enhanced contrast images
            2. Apparatus design
         4. Fluorescence Microscopy
            1. Use of fluorescent dyes
            2. Mechanism of excitation and emission
            3. Applications in live-cell imaging
         5. Confocal Microscopy
            1. Optical sectioning
            2. 3D imaging capabilities
            3. Applications in studying cellular architecture
      2. Electron Microscopy
         1. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
            1. High-resolution imaging
            2. Sample preparation techniques
         2. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
            1. 3D surface imaging
            2. Coating techniques for sample preparation
         3. Cryo-Electron Microscopy
            1. Imaging of specimens in vitrified ice
            2. Applications in structural biology
   2. Cell Culture
      1. Types of Cell Culture
         1. Primary Cell Culture
            1. Isolation of cells from tissues
            2. Challenges in maintaining primary cultures
         2. Continuous Cell Lines
            1. Characteristics of immortalized cells
            2. Advantages and limitations
         3. Stem Cell Culture
            1. Maintenance of pluripotency
            2. Differentiation potential
      2. Culture Conditions
         1. Growth media components
         2. Sterile techniques
         3. Environmental conditions (temperature, CO2)
      3. Applications of Cell Culture
         1. Drug screening and toxicology tests
         2. Production of biologics
         3. Study of cell growth and differentiation
   3. Molecular Biology Techniques
      1. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
         1. Principles of DNA amplification
         2. Types of PCR (RT-PCR, qPCR)
      2. Gel Electrophoresis
         1. Separation of DNA/RNA by size
         2. Role of agarose and polyacrylamide gels
         3. Visualization with staining techniques
      3. Flow Cytometry
         1. Quantification and sorting of cells
         2. Use of fluorescent markers
         3. Applications in immunophenotyping
      4. Gene Editing Techniques
         1. CRISPR-Cas9 System
            1. Mechanism of targeted DNA modification
            2. Applications in functional genomics
         2. TALENs and Zinc Finger Nucleases
            1. Comparison of technologies
            2. Advantages and limitations
      5. Western Blotting
         1. Detection of specific proteins
         2. Role of antibodies in identification
         3. Applications in proteomics
   4. Imaging Techniques
      1. Live-Cell Imaging
         1. Real-time observation of cellular processes
         2. Time-lapse imaging techniques
      2. Super-Resolution Microscopy
         1. Breaking diffraction limit barriers
         2. Techniques like STED, PALM, and STORM
      3. FRET (Förster Resonance Energy Transfer)
         1. Monitoring molecular interactions
         2. Applications in studying protein dynamics
   5. Other Techniques
      1. Centrifugation
         1. Principles and types (differential, density gradient)
         2. Applications in cell and organelle fractionation
      2. Spectroscopy
         1. Applications in biomolecule analysis
         2. Techniques like UV/Vis, Fluorescence, NMR
      3. Patch Clamping
         1. Techniques for studying ion channels
         2. Applications in neurobiology and electrophysiology
      4. Surface Plasmon Resonance
         1. Real-time measurement of biomolecular interactions
         2. Applications in characterizing binding kinetics