(iii) Bioinformatics & Comparative Genomics

Question 1

What is bioinformatics?

Answer 1

the science of collecting, analysing and understanding complex biological data

combines computer science, statistics, mathematics and engineering to analyse biological data

a management system for molecular biology

Question 2

What can biological data include?

Answer 2

nucleotides of DNA sequences
entire genome
genes

amino acid sequences of different proteins

Question 3

Where is raw data obtained?

Answer 3

from biological testing

Question 4

What happens after raw data is collected?

Answer 4

After raw data has been collected and sequenced,

sequence needs to be analysed to see what it means. Referred to as gene annotation.

Question 5

What does gene annotation involve?

Answer 5

1. Gene prediction- identifying elements of the genome
2. Annotation- attaching biological information to the elements identified

computers used to analyse the info automatically

Question 6

Why use Bioinformatics?

Answer 6

Can be used to:
- improve our understanding of diseases

• uncover phylogenic relationships and evolutionary patterns
• compare the genomic sequences of a wide range of organisms

Question 7

What can genomic features include?

Answer 7

DNA sequence

genes

gene order

and other genomic structural landmarks or biomarkers

Question 8

What does comparative genetics in bioinformatics involve?

Answer 8

check for alignment (similarity) of genome sequence

look for DNA sequences that share a common ancestry

identify regions of similarity and differences. helps study evolutionary changes amongst organisms

enables scientists to identify subtle differences in genetic sequences, which provide unique characteristics +
similarities in closely related species

Question 9

The greater the degree of alignment (similarity) of the genome,

Answer 9

closer the evolutionary relationship between the 2 species