Biology Lecture 14 - Genomes and Their Evolution

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering genomics, bioinformatics, evolution of genes, and various omics fields including proteomics, transcriptomics, and the human microbiome.

Genomics

An approach where scientists study whole sets of genes and their interactions, facilitated by the full sequencing of many species.

Bioinformatics

The application of computational methods to the storage and analysis of massive amounts of biological data, such as the the human genome which contains $3$ billion base pairs.

Gene annotation

The analytical approach of identifying genes within a genome sequence to make sense of the data.

National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)

An organization that advances science and health by providing online access to biomedical and genomic databases such as PubMed, GenBank, and BLAST.

Gene density

A measure of the number of genes in a given number of base pairs, which is generally lower in eukaryotes compared to prokaryotes.

Pseudogenes

Former genes that have accumulated mutations over a long time and no longer produce functional proteins.

Repetitive DNA

Intergenic DNA consisting of sequences that are present in multiple copies in the genome; it includes gene fragments and transposable elements.

Transposable elements

Often referred to as jumping genes, these units make up $75\%$ of the repetitive DNA in the human genome.

Globin superfamily

A group of genes with related functions that evolved from a common ancestral globin gene, including myoglobin, hemoglobin, and leghemoglobin.

Lysozyme

An enzyme found in birds and mammals that protects against bacterial infection by hydrolyzing bacterial cell walls.

$\alpha$-lactalbumin

A nonenzymatic protein found only in mammals that plays a role in milk production and evolved from a duplicated lysozyme gene.

Epigenomics

The study of epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation or histone modification, which are reversible and affect gene expression without altering the DNA sequence.

DNA methylation

The presence of methyl groups on DNA bases (usually cytosine) which represses gene expression; this process can be influenced by nutrition.

Transcriptomics

The study of the transcriptome, which is the complete set of RNA transcripts (mRNA) produced by a genome under specific circumstances or in a specific cell.

Proteomics

The systematic study of sets of proteins and their properties, including their presence/absence, chemical modifications, and interactions in networks.

Proteome

The entire set of proteins expressed by a given cell or group of cells.

Peptidomics

An emerging branch of proteomics that targets endogenously produced protein fragments.

Bioactive peptides (BAP)

Peptides derived from food proteins that exert positive effects on human systems like the cardiovascular, immune, and nervous systems.

Metabolomics

The systematic identification and quantification of small molecule metabolic products (the metabolome) of a biological system at a specific point in time.

Systems Biology

An approach that aims to model the dynamic behavior of whole biological systems based on interactions among the genome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome.

Metagenomics

A technique where DNA from an entire group of species (a metagenome) is collected from an environmental sample and sequenced without the need for culturing species separately.

Human Microbiome

The collection of all the microorganisms, including eukaryotes, archaea, viruses, and bacteria, living in association with the human body.

Probiotics

Live microorganisms that confer a health benefit on the host when administered in adequate amounts, such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus species.

Prebiotics

Non-digestible food ingredients, such as inulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), that benefit the host by selectively stimulating the growth or activity of beneficial bacteria in the colon.