Topic 8B: Genome Project

Question 1

What is a genome?

Answer 1

Entire set of DNA, including genes in an organism

Question 2

Genome sequences only work on…

Answer 2

fragments of DNA

Question 3

How do you sequence the entire genome of an organism?

Answer 3

• You chop it up into smaller pieces
• smaller pieces are sequenced
• then they are put back in order
• gives you the sequence of the whole genome

Question 4

What is the Human Genome Project?

Answer 4

Mapped the entire sequence of the human genome for the first time.

Question 5

What is a proteome?

Answer 5

All the proteins made by it

Question 6

Why is bacteria relatively easy to determine its proteome from DNA sequence for its genome?

Answer 6

because bacteria doesn’t have much non-coding DNA (introns)

Question 7

Where is sequencing genome useful?

Answer 7

In medical research and development.
For example identifying the protein antigens on the surface of disease-causing bacteria and viruses can help in the development of vaccines to prevent the disease.

Question 8

Why is it harder to translate genomes in complex organisms?

Answer 8

• contain large sections of non-coding DNA
• contain complex regulatory genes
• hard to find the bits that code for proteins among these two things

Question 9

What is a complex regulatory gene?

Answer 9

Determines when the gene that codes for particular protein is switched on and off.

Question 10

What was sequencing like in the past?

Answer 10

methods were:

• labour-intensive
• only done in small scale

Question 11

What is sequencing like now?

Answer 11

• more cost effective

- done in large scale