Comparative Genomics: A Scientific Analysis

Rob Salle^*
*Correspondence: Rob Salle, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, USA, Email:

Opinion

Genomics is a branch of biology that focuses on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. A genome is a complete set of DNA that includes all of an organism's genes as well as its hierarchical, three-dimensional structural arrangement. In contrast to genetics, which studies individual genes and their functions in inheritance, genomics seeks to characterise and quantify all of an organism's genes, their interrelationships, and influence on the organism. Genes can direct protein creation with the help of enzymes and messenger molecules. Comparative genomics is a branch of biology that compares the genomic properties of different animals. The DNA sequence, genes, gene order, regulatory sequences, and other genomic structural landmarks are examples of genomic characteristics. Whole or substantial portions of genomes arising from genome projects are examined in this branch of genomics to study basic biological similarities and differences as well as evolutionary relationships between organisms. The core tenet of comparative genomics is that common characteristics of two organisms are frequently encoded within the DNA that is evolutionarily conserved between them.

History of comparative genomics

Historically, sequencing was done in sequencing centres, which are centralised facilities (ranging from large independent institutions like the Joint Genome Institute, which sequences dozens of terabases per year, to local molecular biology core facilities) that contain research laboratories with the necessary expensive instrumentation and technical support. However, as sequencing technology advances, a new generation of effective fast turnaround benchtop sequencers has become affordable to the average university laboratory. Shotgun sequencing is a method of analysing DNA sequences that are longer than 1000 base pairs, up to and including entire chromosomes. It gets its name from the rapidly expanding, quasi-random discharge pattern of a shotgun. Comparative genomics has its origins in the early 1980s with the comparison of viral genomes. Small RNA viruses infecting animals (picornaviruses) and those infecting plants (cowpea mosaic virus, for example) were analysed and shown to share significant sequence similarity and, in part, gene order. The first large-scale comparative genomic analysis was published in 1986, comparing the genomes of varicella-zoster virus and Epstein-Barr virus, each of which comprised more than 100 genes.

Art Delcher, Simon Kasif, and Steven Salzberg created the first high- resolution whole genome comparison method in 1998, which they used to compare entire highly related microbial organisms with their collaborators at the Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). The basis of comparative genomics is the similarity of linked genomes. If two organisms share a recent common ancestor, the differences in their genomes are derived from the ancestors' genome. The greater the similarity between two creatures' genomes, the closer their kinship. If they have a close relationship, their genomes will exhibit a linear behaviour (synteny), which means that part or all of the genetic sequences will be conserved. Thus, by analysing their homology (sequence similarity) to genes of known function, genome sequences can be used to detect gene function. Comparative genomics uses similarities and differences in proteins, RNA, and regulatory areas across organisms to infer how selection has operated on these elements [1-5].

Approaches

Computational techniques to genome comparison have lately emerged as a popular area of study in computer science. A public repository of case studies and demonstrations, ranging from whole genome comparisons to gene expression analyses, is increasing. This has encouraged the introduction of new ideas, such as those from systems and control, information theory, strings analysis, and data mining. Because of the abundance of genomic data, computational tools for evaluating sequences and entire genomes are rapidly evolving. Simultaneously, comparative analytical techniques are being developed and improved. It is critical to display the comparison outcomes in the challenges associated with these analyses. Comparative genomics also brings us new lines of investigation in other fields of study. The number of sequenced genomes has increased as DNA sequencing technology has become more widely available. The power of comparative genomic inference has expanded in tandem with the growing pool of available genetic data.

References

1. Noble, Denis. "Conrad Waddington and the origin of epigenetics." Exp Biol 218 (2015): 816-818.

Google Scholar, Crossref, Indexed at

2. Heard, Edith, and Robert A. Martienssen. "Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance: myths and mechanisms." Cell 157 (2014): 95-109.

Google Scholar, Crossref, Indexed at

3. Youngson, Neil A. and Emma Whitelaw. "Transgenerational epigenetic effects." Annu Rev Genom Hum Genet 9 (2008): 233-257.

Google Scholar, Crossref, Indexed at

4. Jablonka, Eva. "The evolutionary implications of epigenetic inheritance." Interface focus 7 (2017): 20160135.

Google Scholar, Crossref

5. Jablonka, Eva, and Gal Raz. "Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance: prevalence, mechanisms, and implications for the study of heredity and evolution." Q Rev Biol 84 (2009): 131-176.

Google Scholar, Crossref