BioinformaticsCSM17 Week 10: Summary, Conclusions, The Future.....?

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Bioinformatics CSM17 Week 10 Summary,
Conclusions, The Future.....?

• Bioinformatics is
• the study of living systems
• with respect to representation, organisation,
  manipulation, distribution, maintenance and use
  of information

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Bioinformatics includes...

• computer applications in biology
• IT and IS for management analysis of biological
  data
• e.g. classification/identification systems,
  databases, development of analysis tools
• computational molecular analysis, molecular
  biology
• DNA, RNA, protein amino acid sequences
• simulations of biological systems
• artificial intelligence, neural networks

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Week 2 Biological Classification

• fundamental concepts
• taxon, species, genus
• traditional methods
• based on expert opinion
• nomenclature (naming)
• type concept, type specimens, descriptions
• taxonomy systematics
• cluster analysis / numerical taxonomy

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Week 3 Biological Identification

• a fundamental activity
• traditional methods - keys
• special problems
• variation, availability of data
• information content
• computer-based methods
• DELTA

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Week 4 Evolutionary systems

• evolution and phylogeny
• historical systems
• modern methods
• tools and software
• PHYLIP

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Week 5 DNA and Genetics

• genetics, Gregor Mendel and his peas
• cell structure
• mitochondria
• chloroplasts
• DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
• nucleotide bases
• A, C, G, T
• transcription (reading the DNA template)
• producing messenger RNA (mRNA)
• A, C, G and U (replaces T in RNA)

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Week 6 DNA, RNA and Proteins

• translation (mRNA -gt protein)
• tRNA builds up protein
• one amino acid at a time
• protein structure
• primary (AA sequence)
• secondary (e.g. spiral, helix)
• tertiary (complex folding)

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Week 7 Molecular Analysis

• Sequence alignment
• for comparison, identification
• Multiple sequence alignment
• cladistic analysis of molecular sequences

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Week 8 Simulations 1

• genetic algorithms (GAs)
• evolutionary computation
• simulate sexual reproduction in populations
• using chromosomes and crossover

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Week 9 Simulations 2

• plant morphology
• leaves, branching, phyllotaxis
• fractals
• virtual reality
• Lindenmayer systems

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Week 10 Conclusions and summary

• Is Life an Information System???
• Revision