Assignment for 10/7/99

Find accession number L07390

What is the scientific name of the organism from which this sequence was isolated?

What is its common name?

What gene is (partially) encoded by this sequence?

Is there an intron in the sequence?

If so, where does it begin and end?

Where does the exon begin and end?

What manipulation would you have to perform on this DNA sequence if you were going to translate it to get the amino acid sequence shown?

What is the %GC content of the entire sequence?

What is the %GC of the coding sequence (the two exons)?

To calculate %GC use (#G+#C)/(#A+#C+#G+#T)*100.

And for a bonus point, why do you think they differ?

Assignment for 10/29/99

Consider the required reading in the textbook to date. Identify at least one question that you have concerning this material, pose the question, and and describe the thoughts that you have had on the subject. Why is this question of interest to you? What makes it difficult for you to determine the answer?

Consider the commentary: Roach, J.C. et al. 1999. "Gaps in the Human Genome Project". Nature 401:843-845.

Write a concise (2 pages or less) review of the article. Your review should include the following:

1. A summary of the contents of the article, including the general topic covered, the data and arguments presented, and a summary fo the main conclusions.
2. An assessment of the strengths of the article. What aspects of the article do you think are particularly good? What unusual merits does the article have? Among the things you may want to consider are the importance and timeliness of the subject, the accuracy of the data and interpretation, and the clarity of the presentation.
3. A description of any serious flaws you fnd in the article. The goal here is to be accurate and fair, not to nitpick. But you should make note of any serious problems you can identify.
4. A recommendation for how the human genome project should proceed in light of this article. I.e., now that you have read this article, how has it influenced your opinion about what is the most efficient way of completing the human genome? Are you convinced by the article? If you were in charge of the human genome project, what would you do? Why?

You should write this review in the context of your knowledge of genomics and bioinformatics. Because everyone has their own distinctive area of expertise, your review will be helpful even if you do not consider yourself to be expert in the field. Write the review at a level that would be appropriate if it were to be read by another member of the class, i.e., you need not define terms that everyone in the class should know.