genome sequencing Flashcards
what is the genome ?
- the entire genetic material of an organism in the nucleus of a cell (in eukaryotes)
what does it mean by sequencing a genome ?
- working out the DNA base sequence for all the DNA in a cell
what kind of organisms genome has already been sequenced ?
- many organisms
- including human genome
how long did sequencing the human genome take ?
and when did this end ?
- took 13 years
- completed in 2003
how often are the methods used to sequence genomes improved ?
- they are continuously being improved
what is the method of sequencing a genome currently ?
- it has become automated
what do methods to sequence the human genome include ?
- the sanger method
what do simpler organisms such as prokaryotic cells do not contain in terms of their genetic material ?
- they do not contain introns in their DNA
what are introns ?
- non-coding regions of DNA
if simpler organisms do not contain genomes, what does this mean that we are able to do with the genome ?
- it means that the genome can be used directly to sequence the proteins that derive from the genetic code
what is the proteome of the organisms ?
the entire protein make up of the organism
why is sequencing of the proteome very useful ?
- to identify potential antigens to use in vaccines
what do more complex organisms such as eukaryotes have in their dna ?
- they have introns and regulatory genes in their DNA
if eukaryotes have introns what does this mean ?
- it means that the genome cannot easily be used to translate the proteome
