Discovering Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics (2nd Edition) PDF: The Ultimate Resource for Bio

When the human genome project was conceived, its leaders wanted all researchers to have equal access to the data and associated research tools. Their vision of equal access provides an unprecedented teaching opportunity. Teachers and students have free access to the same databases that researchers are using. Furthermore, the recent movement to deliver scientific publications freely has presented a second source of current information for teaching. I have developed a genomics course that incorporates many of the public-domain databases, research tools, and peer-reviewed journals. These online resources provide students with exciting entree into the new fields of genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics. In this essay, I outline how these fields are especially well suited for inclusion in the undergraduate curriculum. Assessment data indicate that my students were able to utilize online information to achieve the educational goals of the course and that the experience positively influenced their perceptions of how they might contribute to biology.

One reason for the increased need to access information is the impact that molecular approaches are having on all areas of biology. Molecular tools have integrated areas within biology previously considered distinct, such as biochemistry, ecology, genetics, and behavior. Biologists working in such different areas within biology now use overlapping information for different applications. With the advent of genomics and its allied fields of proteomics and bioinformatics, integrating information across many subdisciplines of biology is becoming increasingly important for research and teaching. Furthermore, many leaders in genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics (referred to simply as genomics in this essay) are emphatic about the need to provide free access to data and to electronic research tools. This confluence of needs for information and interdisciplinary learning have led to a unique time in biology education.

Discovering Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics (2nd Edition) download pdf

Download

Most faculty lack formal training in genomics, but students are eager to learn about genomics and its impact. Faculty are quickly learning to incorporate various aspects of genomics into their curriculum, either by developing new genomics courses or by incorporating bits and pieces of data into existing courses. New editions of textbooks in many areas of biology are including genomic information. However, the field of genomics is more than a compilation of lessons learned. Genomics is a dynamic body of information that can be searched and explored by anyone with Internet access. By accessing online resources, teachers can bring more of the dynamic nature of genomics to students. I have developed a genomics course that I have taught twice (Fall semesters 2001 and 2002; Campbell and Heyer, 2003). This essay outlines some of the online resources my students used to discover genomics by actively exploring freely available research-quality data using bioinformatics tools (Figure 1).

Over the next few years, many institutions will teach genomics. Departments will have to decide whether to blend genomics into existing courses (the way many have done with genetics and molecular biology) or to create new courses. This choice raises an interesting question: Is a genetics course still genetics if it also covers molecular biology, genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics? At some level, the question of course title is semantics, but for an individual department, the question may require creative solutions when the number of course offerings is limited. Should a separate course in genomics be offered? Based on my experience, student learning outcomes, student self-evaluations, and postgraduate career choices, genomics merits the resources needed to offer independent courses. Perhaps a student response provides the best rationale for creating new genomics courses:

As you begin this semester, reflect upon your knowledge in the areas of genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics. What are your expectations for this class? How do you view yourself within the larger context of biology?

As you end this semester, reflect upon your knowledge in the areas of genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics. How do you view yourself within the larger context of biology? Did this course meet your expectations?

Bioinformatics is the use of computational approach to analyze, manage and store biological data. The research in biotechnology especially that involving sequence data management and drug design occurred at a speedy rate due to development of bioinformatics. A number of tools and software are developed for analysis and interpretation of biological complexity. There are number of applications of bioinformatics viz. sequence analysis and alignment, molecular modeling, docking, annotation and dynamic simulation to accelerate the biotechnological research. It is expected that many future bioinformatics innovations are likely to stimulate analysis of vast biological data. Here, in this communication, we have tried to explain the importance of bioinformatics in various fields of biotechnology viz. genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, cheminformatics, climate change studies, drug discovery and development, waste cleanup, bioenergy, crop improvement, veterinary sciences, forensic sciences and biodefense.

The growth of the biotechnology industry in recent years is unprecedented, and advancements in molecular modeling, disease characterization, pharmaceutical discovery, clinical healthcare, forensics, and agriculture fundamentally impact economic and social issues worldwide. As a result, with people confidence and development of biotechnology, bioinformatics also reached to new heights among all the biological sciences. There exists a number of applications of bioinformatics for accelerating research in the area of biotechnology that include automatic genome sequencing, gene identification, prediction of gene function, prediction of protein structure, phylogeny, drug designing and development, identification of organisms, vaccine designing, understanding the gene and genome complexity, understanding protein structure, functionality and folding. By using bioinformatics in research, many long term projects are turned up so fast like genome mapping of human and other organisms. Similarly, it is expected that bioinformatics innovation in future will also meet the demands of biotechnology. Here, we have tried to explain the role of bioinformatics in various fields of biotechnology like drug deigning and development, genomics, proteomics, environment biotechnology and others [3].

Today, the major concern all over the Globe is environmental pollutants. The main concern of the environmentalists is waste generated from the industries. These pollutants progressively deteriorate the environment which in turn affects human health. There are few microorganisms that are considered to remediate the pollutants into the natural biogeochemical cycle. Bioremediation is the recent technology which explores the microbial potentiality for biodegradation. This technology can be further improved by using bioinformatics. Genomic and bioinformatics data provide a wealth of information that would be greatly enhanced by structural characterisation of some protein. Bioinformatics provides data of microbial genomics, proteomics, systems biology, computational biology, and bioinformatics tools for understanding of the mechanisms of biodegradative pathways [16,17]. 2ff7e9595c