BIF401 Midterm Short Notes

φ · Chapter 1- Introduction to Bioinformatics ·  BACKGROUND

1. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary science at the cross-roads of biology, mathematics, computer science, chemistry and physics.
2. Human genome has over 25,000 genes
3. The genes may produce > 250,000 different proteins

 EXPERIMENTS IN BIOLOGY

These instruments include:

1. Next Generation Sequencers (NGS) for whole genome sequencing
2. High Resolution Mass Spectrometry for whole proteome profiling
3. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for structural studies

 DIGITALIZATION OF BIOLOGY

Produced data is stored on Computer disks. The data may include text, numbers, symbols or images.

 SPEED OF DATA GROWTH

1. Data is being accumulated at exponentially increasing rates
2. Doubling every few years

MOTIVATION

It is an interdisciplinary field as it covers the information of biological digital information including human, plants, animals and microorganisms.

It demands a very low cost infrastructure and hardly any lab equipment.

SCOPE OF BIOINFORMATICS

Bioinformatics primarily deals with digitalized biological information

ACTIVITIES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY

Developing algorithms, writing software, Statistical evaluation of data etc

NEED FOR BIOINFORMATICS

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The need for bioinformatics is on a rapid rise as biological data is rapidly increasing and becoming available online, free of any cost.

Informatics and Bio-science are the umbrella terms given to a set of allied disciplines which make up the field.

Quote

Biology easily has 500 years of exciting problems to work on.

Donald Knuth, Professor, Stanford University

“tree of life”

which consist of: ➢ Bacteria

➢ Archaea

➢ Eucarya

•  From gene sequences to protein sequences Bioinformatics is the way forward
•  Protein structure, protein-protein interactions and systems biology are other research areas in bioinformatics

APPLICATIONS OF BIOINFORMATICS

GENOMICS

Bioinformatics can help in assembling

•  DNA sequencing data.
•  Gene Finding
•  Genome Assembly
•  Variation in Genomes
•  Transcription Data
•  Databases

EVOLUTIONARY STUDIES

•  Evolutionary relationships
•  Evolutionary distances
•  Phylogenetics
•  Tree of life

Bioinformatics can help us in decoding protein sequences.

APPLICATIONS OF BIOINFORMATICS · • Genomics · • Metabolomics · • Structural Proteomics · ψ · • Drug Design · FRONTIERS (boundaries) IN BIOINFORMATICS

Frontier in Bioinformatics includes

•  Next generation genomics

FRONTIER IN GENOMICS

To sequence the whole genome with the bioinformatics tool of Next generation sequencing (NGS)

• Next generation sequencing of whole genomes · • Massive amounts of data (Tera byte files) · FRONTIER IN TRANSCRIPTOMICS

•  to identify those matters which are unknown yet or under discussion
•  Identification of hitherto(until now) unknown types as well as roles of RNA

FRONTIER IN PROTEOMICS

• Identification of low abundance proteins in patient tissue samples
• Large scale protein identification
• Identification of known as well as novel post-translational modifications

FRONTIER IN PROTEIN STURUCTURE

To understand the layer folding of proteins that how they are processed,

FRONTIER IN SYSTEM BIOLOGY

To understand Cells function as a whole!

FRONTIER IN PERSONALIZED MEDICINE

•  Personalize the medicine for exact cure of a disease.
•  Some medicines have side effects on certain person