Comparative genomics

Comparative genomics analyzes genome sequences and organization across species or strains to identify similarities, differences, and evolutionary relationships.

Sequence alignment: A method for arranging DNA, RNA, or protein sequences to reveal corresponding regions and differences. Alignments reveal conserved and changed regions across genomes.
Genome: The complete set of genetic material in an organism, cell, or virus. Comparative genomics takes genomes, rather than isolated genes, as its central objects.
Genome-wide association study: A study that tests genetic variants across many individuals for statistical association with a trait. Comparative reference genomes help identify and interpret trait-associated variation.
Functional genomics: The study of how genes and genome elements function through their interactions and activity. It emphasizes biological activity, whereas comparative genomics emphasizes differences among genomes.
Frederick Sanger: A British biochemist who developed influential methods for sequencing proteins and DNA. DNA sequencing methods made direct comparisons between genomes possible.
Synteny: The conservation of gene order or chromosomal segments across genomes. Shared gene order can reveal relationships missed by sequence similarity alone.
Genome assembly: The computational reconstruction of genome sequences from overlapping DNA reads. Reliable comparisons depend on assembled sequences that represent genomic regions accurately.
Human Genome Project: An international research effort that produced a reference sequence of the human genome. Its reference enabled broad comparisons with other species and human populations.
Population genomics: The study of genome-wide variation within and among populations of a species. It focuses chiefly on variation within species rather than comparisons across species.
DNA sequencing: The determination of the order of nucleotide bases in a DNA molecule. Faster sequencing expanded comparisons from individual genes to whole genomes.

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