Definition in Bioinformatics

1. Bioinformatics :- 

discipline of storing and analyzing biological data using computational 

techniques. More specifically, it is the analysis of the sequence, structure, and function of 

the biological macromolecules – DNA, RNA, and proteins – with the aid of computational 

tools that include computer hardware, software, and the Internet.

2. BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool):

commonly used sequence database search 

program based on sequence similarity. 

3. Comparative genomics:

subarea of genomics that focuses on comparison of whole

genomes from different organisms.

4.Database :-

computerized archive used for storage and organization of data in such a way 

that information can be retrieved easily via a variety of search criteria.

5. DNA microarray:

technology for high throughput gene expression profiling.

6. EST (expressed sequence tags): 

short sequences obtained from Cdna clones serving as 

short identifiers of full length genes.

7. E-value (expectation value):

statistical significance measure of database sequence matches.

8. FASTA: 

database sequence search program that performs the pairwise alignment by

employing a heuristic method. 

9. Flat file: 

database file format that is a long text file containing database entries separated

by a delimiter, a special character such as a vertical bar (|).

10. Functional genomics: 

study of gene functions at the whole-genome level using high

throughput approaches. This study is also termedtranscriptome analysis, which refers to the 

analysis of the full set of RNA molecules produced by a cell under a given condition.

11. Gene annotation: 

process to identify gene locations in a newly sequenced genome and to 

assign functions to identified genes and gene products.

12. Gene ontology: 

annotation system for gene products using a set of structured, controlled

vocabulary to indicate the biological process, molecular function, and cellular localization 

of a particular gene product.

13. Genetic algorithm:

computational optimization strategy that performs iterative and

randomized selection to achieve an optimal solution. 

14. Genome: 

complete DNA sequence of an organism that includes all the genetic information.

15. Genomics: 

study of genomes characterized by simultaneous analysis of all the genes in a genome. 

16. Homology:

Biological feature that is similar to the fact that they are derived from a common ancestry. 

17. Homology: 

biological similarity that is attributed to a common evolutionary origin.

18. Molecular clock:

assumption that molecular sequences evolve at a constant rate. This 

implies that the evolutionary time of a lineage can be estimated from its branch length in a 

phylogenetic tree.

19. Motif: 

short, conserved sequence associated with a distinct function.

20. OMIM (OnlineMendelian Inheritance inMan): 

database of human genetic disease,

containing textual descriptions of the disorders and information about the genes associated 

with genetic disorders.

21. Orthologs: 

homologous sequences from different organisms or genomes derived from 

speciation events rather than gene duplication events.

22. Paralogs: 

homologous sequences from the same organism or genome, which are derived 

from gene duplication events rather than speciation events.

23. Phylogenetic footprinting: 

process of finding conserved DNA elements through aligning 

DNA sequences from multiple related species. It is widely used for identifying regulatory 

elements in a genome.

24. Phylogeny: 

study of evolutionary relationships between organisms by using treelike

diagrams as representations.

25. Protein family:

group of homologous proteins with a common structure and function.

26. Proteome: 

complete set of proteins expressed in a cell.

27. Proteomics:

study of a proteome, which involves simultaneous analyses of all translated

proteins in the entire proteome. 

28. Substitution matrix:

two-dimensional matrix with score values describing the probability

of one amino acid or nucleotide being replaced by another during sequence evolution. 

Commonly used substitution matrices are BLOSSUM and PAM.