October 2, 2007
Genomics Information Resources
Genomics describes the study of an organism's entire genome (all of the hereditary information encoded within the DNA). Specifically this would involve mapping the complete DNA sequence of one set of chromosomes. The word 'genome' is an amalgamation of the words 'gene' and 'chromosome' and was coined by Professor Hans Winkler in 1920.
A number of 'genome projects' have been undertaken to map the entire sequence of DNA for specific organisms. The first genome project to be completed in 1976 was of the virus Bacteriophage MS2, which has the comparatively small number of just 3,569 base pairs.
The genome is sequenced using a process called shotgun sequencing, which was pioneered by Frederick Sanger to sequence the genome of the Phage Φ-X174. This method involves breaking down the genome into millions of smaller segments (like a disc blasted by a shotgun). These segments are then analysed individually, then the segments are reconstructed using computer technology to form the original sequence. This technique was utilised in 1995 to sequence the bacterial genome of Haemophilus influenzae, which contained 1.8 million base pairs.
Genomics Information Resources on squidoo
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