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
Patrice Koehl
Translation : initiation
tRNA
Patrice Koehl
Translation : elongation
tRNA
Patrice Koehl
Translation : elongation
Patrice Koehl
Translation : elongation
Patrice Koehl
Translation : elongation
Patrice Koehl
Translation : termination
Patrice Koehl
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
