This document uses football as an analogy to explain concepts from genomics and the central dogma of molecular biology. It outlines four key lessons: 1) Only a subset of players/genes are expressed during a game/cell process; 2) Expression levels can change during a game/over time; 3) The outcome of a team depends on complex interactions not just individual efforts; and 4) A player's function depends on context, like bacterial host or team, and interactions with other players/proteins.

1. FOOTBALLOMICS1,2
by Ramy K. Aziz, PhD
What can football teach us about
genomics & the central dogma?
1 “Football” is synonymous to the word “soccer,” used in ≤ 1% of the world
2 Dedicated to Jonathan Eisen, PhD: A #Badomic a day keeps boredom away!

2. 8 Mar 2015
Life informatics! The ‘Central Dogma’…
The Flow of Information In The Cell
DNA makes RNA makes Protein
DNA RNA Protein
1 GENOME n Transcriptomes ≥ n Proteomes
Proce-
ssing
Folding
etc..
transcriptn trn
Complex
Three lessons:
1) Life is all about proteins
2) If you’re a protein, there is no way back!
3) All the truth is in the genome, silent, waiting to be
expressed
Ramy K. Aziz (@azizrk): FootballOmics

3. What does football teach us about central dogma?
8 Mar 2015
Lesson #1:
18-25 players (genes) are
listed, but only 11 are
"transcribed" into the pitch and
those are the ones that are
likely to be "expressed"…
Ramy K. Aziz (@azizrk): FootballOmics

4. What does football teach us about central dogma?
8 Mar 2015 Ramy K. Aziz (@azizrk): FootballOmics
Lesson #2a:
The "game" is
highly
regulated:
Some players
may be
induced or
repressed in
the middle of
the game

5. What does football teach us about central dogma?
8 Mar 2015 Ramy K. Aziz (@azizrk): FootballOmics
Lesson #2b:
The "game" is highly regulated:
Most players are “differentially
expressed” at different time
points…

6. What does football teach us about central dogma?
8 Mar 2015 Ramy K. Aziz (@azizrk): FootballOmics
Lesson #3: the –omics
paradox
Genome vs. sum of its genes/
systems vs. reductionist view:
a team's outcome is not
necessarily equal to the
sum of its players efforts

7. What does football teach us about central dogma?
8 Mar 2015 Ramy K. Aziz (@azizrk): FootballOmics
Lesson #4a:
A players "function" is context
dependent: player-player
interactions are key to interpret the
overall outcome

8. What does football teach us about central dogma?
• Lesson #4b:
• A players "function" is context dependent. A protein
expressed in another bacterial host may behave very
differently.
Salah with Chelsea vs. Salah with Fiorentina
8 Mar 2015 Ramy K. Aziz (@azizrk): FootballOmics