In 2003, when scientists in the Human Genome Project (HGP) achieved a long-sought goal by obtaining the sequence of the 3 billion base pairs making up the human genome, a very ambitious project which was conceived in the scientific community.
The order of bases A (Adenosine), T (Thymine), C (Cytosine), and G (Guanine) spells out the exact instructions needed to maintain and reproduce a living organism, whether it’s a human being, a tree, or a microbe.
Human genome sequence obtained in the HGP is not an exact match for any single person’s genome. Researchers used DNA samples from a number of donors, male and female, protecting the anonymity of all. Because all humans share the same basic set of genes and other DNA regions, this “reference” sequence represents every person.
All Human Genome Project data and much of the related information are readily available on the web. But how does a novice find and use these resources?...
Gene gateway is a new, non-technical online guide that introduces the various tools anyone could use to investigate genetic disorders, chromosomes, genome maps, genes, sequence data, genetic variants and molecular structures.
Gene and Protein Guide
Genetic Disorder Guide
Sample Profiles of Genes and Genetic Disorders
Evaluating Medical Information on the Web
Now, what’s beyond the Genome Project is the burning question:
The DNA sequences generated in hundreds of genome projects now provide scientists in part, lists containing instructions for how an organism builds, operates, maintains and reproduces itself while responding to various environmental conditions. We still, however, have very little knowledge of how cells use this information to come alive.
This new challenge is responded by The Genomes To Life (GTL) program of the DOE Office of Science by using DNA sequence data and advanced experimental and computational technologies to explore the life processes of the microbes; which are amazingly diverse organisms that make up half of the biomass on earth and thrive in every known environment.
The ability of this planet to sustain life, in fact, is largely dependent on microbes, most of which do not cause disease. Understanding the intricate details of their functions can eventually enable us to harness their sophisticated biochemical abilities to meet critical DOE mission challenges in energy security, global climate change mitigation and toxic waste cleanup.
GTL studies will use microbial DNA sequences-many determined in the DOE Microbial Genome Program – as a foundation for studying how tens of thousands of genes and proteins work together in the interconnected networks to orchestrate the chemistry of life. The new approach is known as “whole” systems biology.
These studies will finally provide an enduring and comprehensive ability to understand how living cells function and respond to environmental changes and open doors to applications in energy and the environment as well as across the life sciences landscape.
Human Genome Project and Beyond
NIH National Human Genome Research Institute
National Center for Biotechnology Information
Medicine and the New Genetics