engleski

From genes to genomes and beyond

Molecular biology has allowed genes to be cloned, sequenced and analysed. In recent years, advances in sequencing hardware and robotics have resulted in an explosion in the rate of data acquired. This has changed the approach of molecular biologists from traditional molecular genetics to functional Genomics implying sequencing of entire genomes. The new science of Bioinformatics is required to process and analyse the data coming from sequencing projects. The first genome to be sequenced was the genome of the human pathogen Haemophilus influenzae. Genomes of model organisms followed, including Escherichia coli, brewers yeast, the worm, the fruit fly and the first plant. From the applied point of view sequencing of industrial microorganisms and agricultural plants is important for their further breeding. Sequencing of human and veterinary pathogens is also vital for the validation of new biological targets for the generation of novel antiinfectives. However, the most important of all is the sequencing of the human genome consisting of three billion nucleotides, whose first draft is now completed. This breakthrough will undoubtedly bring human beings the highest reward. Now that most of the 30, 000 or so genes that make up the human genome have been decoded, the biggest issue for genomics today is no longer genes. In a sense, at this very moment, they are also becoming passé. What is interesting now is what we will do with the genes. They are turned on or off at different times according to the tissue they are in and their role in the body. Therefore, the attention has to be paid to the transcriptome - to the mRNAs being produced by a cell at any given time - and the proteome, all the proteins being made according to the instructions in those mRNAs. The new scientific field Proteomics is emerging. It seems that Genomics and Proteomics, coupled with Bioinformatics, will change the world. Many discovery steps that are nowdays done in wet labs will be done in silico, although confirmation in the laboratory will remain essential. Hence, all will depend on brainware, not hardware or software.

gene; protein; genomics; proteomics; bioinformatics

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