Using genome projects

what is a genome?

all the genetic material in an organism

what does a genome project aid with the understanding of?

gene function and interaction

how does a genome project work?

collecting DNA samples from many individuals of a species. These DNA samples are then sequenced and compared to create a reference genom

why is more than one organism used to create the reference genome?

as one organism may have anomalies/mutations in their DNA sequence that are atypical of the species

what is a proteome?

all of the proteins that can be produced by a cell

what can the information generated from the HGP be used to tackle?

human health issues with the end goal of finding cures for diseases

what have scientists have noticed a correlation between?

give an example?

changes in specific genes and the likelihood of developing certain inherited diseases

several genes within the human genome have been linked to increased risk of certain cancers

if an individual’s BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are mutated then they are substantially more likely to develop breast cancer

what have certain genes also been linked to the development of?

Alzheimer’s

what can the genome of simpler organisms be used to obtain?

give an application for this?

the proteome

identifying potential antigens for use in vaccine production

what is the use of making comparisons of genomes with other organisms?

help to find the degree of similarity between organisms which then gives an indication of how closely related the organisms are and whether there are organisms that could be used in experiments as a model for humans

what do genes with high levels of variation suggest?

those genes are under strong selective pressure

These genes could code for the antigen proteins found on the parasites

what happens once the antigenic genes are identified?

the antigen they code for can be used in vaccine production

why would the protein coded for by the specific gene be injected into people living in areas with malaria?

see if they produce antibodies that provide immunity against the disease

what research is also being done in relation to malaria?

identify genes within the parasite's genome that affect drug resistance and insecticide resistance

why is it difficult to translate the genome of complex organisms into their proteome?

large amounts of non-coding DNA are present in human genomes

very hard to identify these sections of DNA from the coding DNA

what affects gene expression and the synthesis of proteins?

The presence of regulatory genes and the process of alternative splicing in human genomes

why is the proteome is larger than the genome?

Alternative splicing

Post-translational modification of proteins

what does DNA sequencing allow?

the base sequence of an organism's genetic material to be identified and recorded

what have advances in technology allowed scientists to do?

rapidly sequence the genomes of organisms