UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK (UNIMAS)

FACULTY OF RESOURCE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 STB3062 FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS AND PROTEOMICS

Assignment 1

Name: Sharifah Nurain bt Hussain

Group: G03

Lecturer Name: Professor Dr. Hairul Azman @ Amir Hamzah bin Roslan

Date of submission: 20th April 2022

 1. Why human genome project is important? Discuss the topic and provide suitable
references for your arguments

The human genome project (HGP) is one of world enormous collaborative project that
required the scientist around the world to work out the sequences of basis in the human
genome. HGP was initiated in 1990 and completed by 2003. This project is undeniably has
brought a significant impact to the scientific studies, especially in clinical medicine and
biological research. According to Collins et al., (1995), the finding and study of the 50,000 to
100,000 genes present inside the genome of DNA could give biologists with strong new ways
to comprehending disease development and developing novel preventative and treatment
strategies. Moreover, through the sequencing of DNA, the HGP will help scientists to
encounter the identification of mutations which correlated to cancer which also led to direct
suitable intervention. From HGP, the forms of genes or alleles associated with different
inherited disorders have been mapped, allowing for the genetic test to be carried out on
human to observe whether they are sufferers or carriers of an inherited disorders like cystic
fibrosis.

Following that, the HGP also serves as a foundation for the advancement of
bioinformatics system. The invention of ENCODE (Encyclopaedia of DNA Elements)
Project, for example, started by the NIH in 2003, intended as a follow-up to the HGP, is a
collaborative public research initiative aimed at identifying functional elements in the human
genome. ENCODE also contributes to future biomedical research by developing community
resources for scientific tools and methodologies for genomics data analysis, biological
software, and products derived from data analysis and interpretation.

Next, the HGP would not be completely sequenced without the use of advanced
biotechnological tools. The necessity for large-scale methods to DNA sequencing has driven
technology to increase capacity while simultaneously lowering equipment size. Therefore,
this need has resulted in the creation of automated equipment that, for example, lowering the
time and cost of the biochemical processes involved in sequencing, better the analysis of
these reactions, and make it easier to enter the information acquired into biological databases.
2. Discuss the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes.

Prokaryotic genomes are a single cell that has an average circular chromosome
of 160,000 to 12,000,000 bp. It has no nucleus and contains one piece of circular
DNA. As for prokaryotic, it has no mRNA post transcriptional modification. Most of
prokaryote’s genome has a small moveable sequence of DNA that can bounce around
that are called transposons. The gene structure is simple, continuous, no, or little
introns. It has two types of basic evolutionary processes. Its either mutation based
where a rapid proliferation and accumulation of mutations and hypermutation
happens, or HGT based which involve an intensive acquisition of new genes from
other species. The characteristics of transcriptomes is very simple, consist of mostly
mRNAs, and it has no data for complex RNA based regulatory networks.

As for eukaryotes, it consists of up to 5-10% protein coding genes, and it has

an abundance of non-genic DNA which are pseudogenes and different species.
Unlike prokaryotes, it has a linear DNA that is commonly found within a membrane-
bound nucleus. It has no plasmid, but prokaryotes have. Most of the DNA of
eukaryotes is non-coding as the centromeres are present. There two processes of the
basic evolution of eukaryotes. Firstly, repeat based where it is described as a high
content of repeats facilitates recombination, translocation and shuffling, duplication,
and rearrangement of different scales. Secondly, is network-based, where it involves a
complex of network of RNA-based and other interaction-based regulatory processes.