Human Genomics Flashcards
What is the Genome of an organism
The genome of an organism is its entire hereditary information encoded in its DNA.
What is the genome made up of?
This includes all of the genes, that code for proteins (coding regions) and all of the non coding regions most of the genome is non coding.
What function might the non coding sequence have?
1) regulate transcription (by turning genes on and off)
2) transcribed into RNA but not translated (e.g. rRNA and tRNA)
What is genomic sequencing?
The process of determining the sequence of nucleotide bases for individual genes or the entire genome.
What was the purpose of “The Human Genome Projects” (1990)?
Aimed to map “the human genome” and identify the sequence of the 3 billion base pairs.
What is bioinformatics?
Using computer programmes and statistical analysis to store and compare sequence of data.
How did bioinformatics assist The Human Genome Project?
Computer programmes helped to identify genes quickly by looking for base sequence that were similar to already known genes.
Mapping the first “normal” human genome took 13 years. How might this information be useful in medicine?
Used to compare against the genome of a patient with a genetic condition.
1) To pinpoint a defective gene.
2) Can help predict the likelihood of developing certain diseases (as many are gene related like cancer.)
What is Personalised Medicine?
When an individual’s genome sequence can be used to select the most effective drugs and dosage to treat their disease.
What is Pharmocogenetics?
The study of how drugs might be designed to best suit individuals with a particular gene sequence.
