8.3 Using genome projects

• Define ‘genome’ and ‘proteome’


  Genome

  The complete set of genes in a cell

  Proteome

  The full range of proteins that a cell can produce (coded for by the cell’s DNA / genome)
• What is genome sequencing and why is it important?

  ● Identifying the DNA base sequence of an organism’s genome

  ● So amino acid sequences of proteins that derive from an organism’s genetic code can be determined

  • Sequencing projects have read the genomes of a range of organisms, including humans
• Explain how determining the genome of a pathogen could allow vaccines to be developed

  ● Could identify the pathogen’s proteome

  ● So could identify potential antigens (proteins that stimulate an immune response) to use in the vaccine
• Suggest some other potential applications of genome sequencing projects

  ● Identification of genes / alleles associated with genetic diseases / cancers

  ○ New targeted drugs / gene therapy can be developed

  ○ Can screen patients, allowing early prevention / personalised medicine

  ● Identification of species and evolutionary relationships
• Explain why the genome cannot be directly translated into the proteome in complex organisms

  ● Presence of non-coding DNA (eg. introns within genes do not code for polypeptides)

  ● Presence of regulatory genes (which regulate expression of other genes, eg. by coding for miRNA)
• Describe how sequencing methods are changing

  ● They have become automated (so are faster, more cost-effective and can be done on a larger scale)

  ● They are continuously updated