Abstract
Organisms display astonishing levels of cell and molecular diversity, including genome size, shape, and architecture. In this chapter, we review how the genome can be viewed as both a structural and an informational unit of biological diversity and explicitly define our intended meaning of genetic information. A brief overview of the characteristic features of bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic cell types and viruses sets the stage for a review of the differences in organization, size, and packaging strategies of their genomes. We include a detailed review of genetic elements found outside the primary chromosomal structures, as these provide insights into how genomes are sometimes viewed as incomplete informational entities. Lastly, we reassess the definition of the genome in light of recent advancements in our understanding of the diversity of genomic structures and the mechanisms by which genetic information is expressed within the cell. Collectively, these topics comprise a good introduction to genome biology for the newcomer to the field and provide a valuable reference for those developing new statistical or computation methods in genomics. This review also prepares the reader for anticipated transformations in thinking as the field of genome biology progresses.
Highlights
Introduction to Genome Biology and DiversityNoor Youssef, Aidan Budd, and Joseph P
The purpose of this review is to provide a condensed overview of genome biology and to anticipate transformations in thinking that will occur as the field progresses
Those processes are separated by the nuclear membrane; deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is first transcribed to ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the nucleus, and the RNA product is subsequently translated to an amino acid sequence in the cytoplasm, leading to the construction of a protein
Summary
Following the introduction of the concept of the genome in 1920 [1], the field of genome science has grown to encompass a vast range of interconnected topics (e.g., nucleic acid chemistry, molecular structure, replication and expression biochemistry, mutational processes, evolutionary dynamics, and interactions with cellular processes). Variation in the way that genomes are structured and processed This led modern biologists to reevaluate the fundamental definition of the genome. A copy of the entire genome—more than three billion DNA base pairs—is contained in all cells that have a nucleus.”. This conception, as with many others, is structural with regard to physical features (viz., genes and DNA base pairs) and informational with regard to its role in carrying out cellular functions (viz., to build and maintain the organism). We reassess the definition of the genome through selected biological examples and conclude with an updated perspective on the nature of the genome as an informational entity
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