I am presently in University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee doing my PhD in Biological sciences.I know a thing or two about applying to US for bio stream.When you apply, the department looks at all the criteria for admission and not a single point.If your overall score(calculated from GRE,Academics,Research XP,Toefl etc) places you high on admissions list the better the chance you have for admission.It does not seriously hamper your admission odds if you dont have a publication.As for the one year gap you mentioned,being honest with your application seems the right thing for me.There are a few sites which have a list of Universities based on field of study(Petersons.com,f1-study.com.50states.com etc)which might help you to shortlist universities once you take GRE.Important thing in bio PhD admissions is that you get an approval from a professor in the department which necessitates prior contact with the profs before applying.Remember that some univs use GRE scores to filter applicants.
I am through with the process you are going through now, so i though I may be some help to you.If you want any more info, dont hesitate to contact me.
