Glossary
Annotation1
Identification of the locations and coding regions of genes in a genome and determination of what they do.
Bioinformatics1
The study of genetic and other biological information using computer, mathematical, and statistical techniques.
Codon
A set of three adjoined nucleotides (triplet) that codes for an amino acid or a termination signal.
Functional genomics1
The study of genomes to determine the biological function of all the genes and their products.
Gene expression1
Conversion of the information encoded in a gene first to messenger RNA and then to a protein.
Genome1
The entire chromosomal genetic material of an organism.
Definitions taken from 1Science Vol. 291; 2NRC, 2003b; 3Handelsman, 2005b; 4NML, 2005; 5http://www.biochem.northwestern.edu/holmgren/Glossary/; 6http://www.medicine.net.com.
Genomics1
The comprehensive study of whole sets of genes and their interactions rather than single genes or proteins.
High throughput2
Rapid (and simultaneous) processing of large sample sets.
Metabolomics2
The global analysis of metabolites and metabolic networks in cells, tissues, and organ systems.
Metagenomics3
The genomic analyses of assemblages of uncultured microorganisms.
Microarray2
A microscope slide or other solid support on which many distinct cDNAs or DNA oligonucleotides are patterned at high density in an addressable array. Microarrays are interrogated by hybridization to fluorescently labeled cDNAs or RNAs to detect the genes that are actively transcribed.
Open reading frame4
A reading frame in a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that contains no termination codons and so can potentially translate as a polypeptide chain.
PCR1
Polymerase chain reaction: a technique for amplifying a piece of DNA quickly and cheaply.
Proteomics1
The study of full set of proteins encoded by a genome.
Sequencing5
Determination of the order of nucleotides (base sequences) in a DNA or RNA molecule or the order of amino acids in a protein.
Shotgun assembly1
Breaking DNA into many small pieces, sequencing the pieces, and assembling the fragments.
Structural genomics1
The effort to determine the 3D structures of large numbers of proteins using both experimental techniques and computer simulation.
Upregulation6
An increase in the number of receptors on the surface of target cells, making the cells more sensitive to a hormone or another agent.
