Structural Biochemistry/Genome Analysis/Sequenced Genomes

Due to modern techniques of DNA analysis, many genomes have been sequenced and analyzed. A famous example is the human genome through the Human Genome Project.

Human Genome Project
The human genome project was an international scientific research effort to fully map out the human genome. This project was started by James D. Watson at the US Institute of Health, but research centers worked on the project all over the world; such as France, Germany, Japan, China, the United Kingdom, and India. So far about 92.3% of the genome has been sequenced, but its difficult to determine due to non-coding sequences of DNA or "junk" DNA.

The genome project uncovered some key findings such as the genome of the human race is 99.9% alike.

Homology
Sequencing genomes allow scientists to identify homologous proteins and establish evolutionary relationships. Furthermore if a newly discovered protein is homologous to a known protein, through homology scientists can make an educated guess on how the new protein functions.

The Impact of Sequencing on Medicine
The ability to quickly sequence the human genome in the future may have significant impacts on medicine. Knowledge about genes and an individual's DNA have already given scientists a way to predict the likelihood of certain diseases among individuals. This also allows one to analyze the chromosomal structure, the effects of evolution upon the genome, and protein structures and functions. In the future, gene therapy, genomic medicine, and preventative treatments may reduce the likelihood of disease and allow manufacturers to tailor drugs to specific individuals.

=Sequenced Eukaryotic Genomes=

Eukaryotes are organisms containing cells that enclose complex organelles within a well-defined cell membrane. The defining characteristic that sets Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes apart is Eukaryotes' nucleus, or nuclear envelope, in which an organism's genetic information is contained.

The first eukaryotic genome to be sequenced is that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) in 1996, and it is commonly known as brewer's yeast. S. cerevisiae is the most useful type of yeast due to its utility in baking and brewing, so it is the most studied eukaryotic model organisms in molecular and cell biology, similar to E. coli's role in the study of prokayortic organisms. Many proteins that are important to humans are studied by examining their homologs in yeasts. For example, signaling proteins and protein-processing enzymes are all discovered through the help of yeast genome.

Other fully sequenced organisms include: roundworm, fruitfly, pufferfish (first vertebrate to be sequenced after humans), and Arabidopsis thaliana.

The tables from below are taken from Wikipedia's list of sequenced eukaryotic genomes.

Chromista
The Chromista are a group of protists that contains the algal phyla Heterokontophyta, Haptophyta and Cryptophyta. Members of this group are mostly studied for evolutionary interest.

Alveolata
Alveolata are a group of protists which includes the Ciliophora, Apicomplexa and Dinoflagellata. Members of this group are of particular interest to science as the cause of serious human and livestock diseases.

Excavata
Excavata is a group of related free living and symbiotic protists; it includes the Metamonada, Loukozoa, Euglenozoa and Percolozoa. They are researched for their role in human disease.

Amoebozoa
Amoebozoa are a group of motile amoeboid protists, members of this group move or feed by means of temporary projections, called pseudopods. The best known member of this group is the slime mold which has been studied for centuries; other members include the Archamoebae, Tubulinea and Flabellinea. Some Amoeboza cause disease.

Sequenced Bacterial Genomes
There are some techniques which are improving to be fast and high volume DNA sequencing like fluorescent dideoxynucleotide chain terminators, "shot gun" method etc. The bacterial genome of Haemophilus influenza wa determined in 1995 with a "short gun" method. The genomic DNA is cut randomly into fragments and then the computer programs brings out the whole sequence by matching the overlapping regions between these fragments. The H. influenzae genome consists of 1,830,137 base pairs and encodes approximately 1740 proteins. With these similar approaches, more than 100 bacterial and archaeal species including key model of organisms such as E.coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Archaeoglobus fulgidus, as well as pathogenic organisms such as Yersina pestis (causing bubonic plague) and Bacillus anthracis (anthrax).1