20.6 Genome projects

Question 1

What are these projects for

Answer 1

Determine entire DNA nucleotide base sequence of a wide range of organisms

Question 2

Human genome has 20000 genes with 3 billion base pairs. So it is very time consuming to sequence them all.

What did they use to do it

Answer 2

Bioinformatics is collecting and analysing scientific data eg genetic codes

It uses computers to do this at a fast rate

Question 3

What is whole genome shotgun sequencing (WGS)

Answer 3

Researchers cut DNA into many small, easily sequenced sections and then use computer algorithms to align overlapping segments to assemble entire genome.

Question 4

What is a medical advancement as a result of sequencing the human genome

Answer 4

Lots of SNPs have been found in human genome which are single base variations associated with disease

So medical screening can detect these problems to allow for early intervention

Question 5

What is the proteome

Answer 5

All the proteins a cell can produce at a given time under specific conditions

It is the proteins that are of interest, as genes code for them

Question 6

What is the human microbiome project

Answer 6

Genomes of thousands of prokaryotic and single celled organisms are being sequenced

It is hoped that information gained will help cure disease