Using DNA Sequencing

Question 1

What is bioinformatics?

Answer 1

-using software to analyse raw biological data
-sequencing

Question 2

What is computational biology?

Answer 2

-using data to build theoretical models
-working out the 3D structure of a protein

Question 3

How does bioinformatics relate to the human genome project?

Answer 3

-sequences of all 46 DNA molecules and mitochondrial DNA from a large sample of humans

Question 4

How does computational biology relate to the human genome project?

Answer 4

-looking for patterns in sequencing
-particularly vulnerability to a diseases

Question 5

How does bioinformatics relate to pathogens?

Answer 5

-sequencing in DNA or RNA able to identification

Question 6

How does computational biology relate to pathogens?

Answer 6

-identifies regions in the genome
-that could be targets for drugs or markers used to produce vaccines

Question 7

How does bioinformatics relate to identifying species or ‘barcoding’?

Answer 7

-sequencing DNA
-working out what species its most like

Question 8

How does computational biology relate to identifying species or ‘barcoding’?

Answer 8

-modelling evolutionary connections
-using DNA to estimate the generations
-passed down since a common ancestor

Question 9

How does bioinformatics relate to proteomics?

Answer 9

-sequencing of the DNA in genes
-sequencing of the proteins produced

Question 10

How does computational biology relate to proteomics?

Answer 10

-developing models to explain why there around 25,000 coding human genes
-but possibly 1,000,000 unique proteins

Question 11

What are spliceosomes?

Answer 11

-enzyme complexes that remove introns from mRNA
-sometimes remove exons or splice them back together in different orders
-computational biology allowed modelling of different proteins possible

Question 12

What is synthetic biology?

Answer 12

-a general term for design and construction or improvement of biological molecules, organisms or devices

Question 13

What is synthetic biology?

Answer 13

-a general term for design and construction or improvement of biological molecules, organisms or devices

Question 14

What is synthetic biology?

Answer 14

-a general term for design and construction or improvement of biological molecules, organisms or devices

Question 15

Outline how DNA sequencing + bioinformatics could be used to increase the effectiveness of a vaccination against ebola

Answer 15

-facilitates access to a large amount of data
-format of info is universal
-can identify source of outbreak
-vaccination program can target certain area/individuals

Question 16

Suggest how bioinformatics may be useful in determining whether a newly-sequenced allele causes a genetic disease

Answer 16

-base sequence of normal allele and known alternative held
-computational analysis = rapid comparison of sequences with newly sequenced alleles
-computer modelling of new protein structure from base sequence