Wednesday 24 July 2013

Advanced Molecular Biology and Genetics

In advanced molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the whole of an organism’s hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA, or, for several types of viruses, in RNA. The genome takes in both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA. 

Genome Repair describes how the genome of the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans gets reassembled after being crushed by-dose radiation. 

Repair of DNA damage is vital for protection against cancer and other age related diseases. Such diseases are supposed to be started by mutations and rearrangements of the DNA sequence. DNA damage produced by ionising radiation, simple alkylating agents or endogenously hydrolytic and oxidative processes is repaired by the base excision repair (BER) pathway.

Monday 4 March 2013

Genomics

Genomics is a discipline in genetics that applies recombinant DNA, DNA sequencing methods, and bioinformatics to sequence, assemble, and analyze the function and structure of genomes. The field includes efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis, epistasis, pleiotropy and other interactions between loci and alleles within the genome. In contrast, the investigation of the roles and functions of single genes is a primary focus of molecular biology or genetics and is a common topic of modern medical and biological research. Research of single genes does not fall into the definition of genomics unless the aim of this genetic, pathway, and functional information analysis is to elucidate its effect on, place in, and response to the entire genome's networks.