Week 10 Flashcards
Genome
All genetic material of an organism
- coding and no-coding DNA
- Nuclear and organelle genomes
Genomics
- Genome structure: chromosome number, structure, gene order
- Genome sequence: entire DNA sequence of the genome
- Genome function: annotation and confirmation
- Genome evolution: comparisons within and among species
What is the relationship between genome size and gene content?
- Bacteria and archaea have a positive linear relationship between genome size and gene content
- eukaryotes are not linear, as genome size increases gene content experiences ceiling effect
Whole genome sequencing by primer walking
- Primers, initially based on vector sequences, allow ends of clone to be sequenced from both sides
- New primers are designed based on newly obtained sequence
- Procedure is reiterated until sequence from both ends overlaps
Whole genome shotgun sequencing
- Fragment into smaller lengths and clone using plasmid vectors
- Sequence ends of clones
- Assemble sequences into contiguous sequences by computer
- Use PCR (with primers based on flanking sequences) to close remaining gaps
What is a draw back and solution in WGS
- Drawback: Repetitive DNA
- Solution: Sequence large insert library
What is genome annotation
Annotation is the process of attaching biological functions to DNA sequences
Objectives of annotation
- Identify the location of genes and functional sequences within the genome sequence
- Describes the biochemical, cellular, and biological function of each gene product
Approaches of annotation
- Computational analysis
- Experimental evidence: transcriptome, gene knock-out and knock-in
Bioinformatics
Computational annotation
- Identify open reading frames, exon, introns and splice sites
- Define threshold: ORF greater than a minimum size
- Compare with confirmed annotations in databases
- Assume genes with similar sequences likely have similar biochemical functions
- Compare sequences at AA level
How does experimental validation work
- gene functional analyses through knock-out and knock-in experiements
- RNA-sequencing cDNA library to confirm exons, introns, splice junctions, and tissue specificity
Gene families
groups of genes that are evolutionarily closely related, containing similar protein domains and motifs
What is comparative genomics
Comparing genomes from within and between species
- Intraspecific comparisons: Population genomics
- Interspecific comparisons: Phylogenomic/ evolutionary genomics
What are the major goals of intra-species comparisons
Identify allelic differences (by comparing to reference genome)
- SNPs
- Insertions/deletions
- Copy number variations
- Chromosomal structural changes
Address questions in;
- history of an individual, population or species
- the genetic bases for phenotypic variation
What are the major goals of interspecific genome comparisons?
- Construct the tree of life
- origin and evolution of genes and gene families: gene duplication
- Genetic bases of phenotypic differences among species and evolutionary lineages
Use of interspecific genome comparisons in determining the tree of life
- Basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) is commonly used to identify homologous sequences
- Genome sequences alignments - closely related species often have very similar genome sequences and structures
- Compare how similar