Bioinformatics

• Original definition (1979 by Paulien Hogeweg):

“application of information technology and computer science to the field of molecular biology”

• Using information technology, designing novel algorithms and methods of analyses (computational biology)

• Establishing innovative software and databases of information, allowing open access to the records held within them (bioinformatics)

Bioinformatics is interdisciplinary

MathematicsStatisticsComputer Science

Biophysics

EvolutionEthical,legal andsocial implications

MolecularBiologyStructuralBiology

Biomedicine

Bioinformatics

Patrice Koehl

Genomics: genes give rise to proteins

• The ~25,000 genes of the human genome encode > 100,000 polypeptides

• Not all of the DNA in a genome encodes protein

microbes: 90% coding gene

human: 3% coding gene

• About ½ of the non-coding DNA in humans is conserved (functionally important)

Central Dogma of Molecular Biology

DNA

RNA

Protein

Replication

Transcription

Translation

Genotype

Phenotype

Patrice Koehl

DNA structure

RNA structure

Protein structure

G

RNA

5’

GG U C A U U C

3’

DNA coding strand

DNA template strand

DNA

5’

5’

3’ 3’

mRNA synthesisThe mRNA is formed by adding nucleotide that are complementary to the template strand

Patrice Koehl

Translation: mRNA -> protein

TRANSLATION

• The process of reading the mRNA sequence and creating the protein is called translation• Protein are made of amino acids (20 different, 9 “essentials”)• 3 bases or nucleotides make one codon• Each codon specifies one amino acid : genetic code

Patrice Koehl

3-letter Codon -> amino acid

Translation : initiation

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Translation : initiation

tRNA

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Translation : elongation

tRNA

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Translation : elongation

Patrice Koehl

Translation : elongation

Patrice Koehl

Translation : elongation

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Translation : termination

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Translation : termination

Protein

Patrice Koehl

DNA -> RNA -> Proteins

• Proteins are central to life

• Cellular structure, communications, etc.

• Medical, drug development

• Failure -> disease (ex: missing, misfolding)

• The key to protein function is structure

Proteins

collagen immunoglobulin

Huntington’s: amyloid structure

Animations

Transcription and Translation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynmxwqiv7j8&feature=related

Eukariotic Transcriptionhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6Nyce-4oG4&feature=related