Week2

Genomics

Week2 Essay

 

             What is sequencing in Genomics and Omics?

-Understanding what sequencing is and why it is meaningful.                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                          20141497

                                                                                     Chaeeun Lee

                                                                               

             Sequencing means, literally, sequence certain information as sequencing books in a library. In case of Genomics and Omics, sequencing is used for dealing with DNA, RNA, protein, and so on. Consequently, sequencing has to be done by computer program to process massive data such as DNA and protein that I mentioned. I think it is one of the key parts of analyzing data because before sequencing, the data does not mean anything. Sequencing is especially crucial in genomics because it deals with a lot of genetic information. There is several ways to do sequencing.

 

             The earliest way for sequencing massive data is Sanger’s method. It synthesizes the new strand of one strand of certain DNA by using DNA polymerase and primer. Also, it leads to develop a lot of sequencing skills using chain-termination by radiolabelling, or using fluorescent dye. After that, there are Maxim-Gilbert chemical cleavage method and shotgun method. Shotgun method is quite interesting because it divide the sequence into smaller fragments randomly, and then put all fragments into a whole sequence. Therefore, it is fast and efficient in some sense, but complex. On the other hand, there is pyrosequencing which does not use chain reaction. It is an array based method and detects the light when it is matched among A, T, G, or C by using chemoluminescent enzyme.

 

 

             As studying Genomics and Omics, we should know the meaning of the sequence in our life. Actually, in Genomics, sequencing is one of the processes that deals with our genetic information. All species have their own genome and development occurred by the genetic information. In other words, genome of a creature is the creature itself. So, sequencing means the preparation of understanding and analyzing us. Sequencing can contributes to understand differentiation, inheritance and even disease.

 

             Among them, especially, regarding the disease, I think sequencing can contributes a lot in future. Some people said that sequencing the DNA and genome is nothing to do with the treatment or diagnosis. However, there are a lot of diseases and basically, they are inherited by genetic information. Therefore, although we cannot make sure that a person will get specific disease, as time goes by, we can figure out more and more genes that are related with certain disease. Then, we can at least try to do something in our daily life to avoid the disease that we possibly can get. Also, we can develop some medicine by analyzing some proteins that act crucial roles in certain disease. To doing this, sequencing is necessary. In other words, sequencing makes us understand what we are and analyze information that is useful for us.