The document discusses bioinformatics, defining it as the application of information technology to the field of molecular biology. It describes how bioinformatics uses biology, mathematics, and computer science to analyze and manage biological data. Some key applications of bioinformatics mentioned are sequence analysis, prediction of protein structure, genome annotation, comparative genomics, and health/drug discovery. Several important bioinformatics resources are also outlined, including NCBI, PubMed, EMBL, and OMIM.

1. 4.1 INTRODUCTION TO BIOINFORMATICS
Dr. Prabhakar R. Pawar
Associate Professor in Zoology,
Mahatma Phule A. S. C. College, Panvel,
Dist. – Raigad, Navi Mumbai – 410 206

2. Definition of Bioinformatics
 Term Bioinformatics was invented by Paulien Hogeweg &
Ben Hesper in 1970
 Application of Information technology for management &
analysis of biological data is referred to as ‘Bioinformatics.’
 Any application of computation to the field of biology for
data management, algorithm development & data mining is
called as Bioinformatics.
 Bioinformatics is “the application of information technology
to the field of molecular biology”.
 Bioinformatics is an emerging and advance branch of
biological science containing biology, mathematics and
computer science.
 Bioinformatics not only solve the biological problems but
also can predicts the new aspects.
 Bioinformatics is a marriage between computer science and
molecular biology.

3. Bioinformatics is being used in following fields:
 Microbial genome
applications
 Molecular medicine
 Personalized medicine
 Preventative medicine
 Gene therapy
 Drug development
 Antibiotic resistance
 Evolutionary studies
 Waste cleanup
 Biotechnology
 Climate change Studies
 Alternative energy
sources
 Crop improvement
 Forensic analysis
 Bio-weapon creation
 Insect resistance
 Improve nutritional quality
 Devp. of Drought resistant
varieties
 Vetinary Science

4. Bioinformatics Web Resources
 NCBI – The National Center for Biotechnology Information
 PubMed
 EMBL - European Molecular Biology Laboratory
 OMIM – Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man

5. Bioinformatics Web Resources
NCBI - National Center for Biotechnology Information
 Created in 1988 as a part of the National Library of Medicine
at National Institutes of Health (NIH).
 Located in Bethesda, Maryland.
 Establish public databases.
 Research in computational biology.
 Develop software tools for sequence analysis.
 Disseminate biomedical information.

6. Bioinformatics Web Resources
PubMed:
 PubMed is a free resource developed & maintained by the NCBI.
 It is a division of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), at
the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
 PubMed comprises over 22 million citations and abstracts for
biomedical literature indexed in NLM’s MEDLINE database & from
other life science journals and online books.
 PubMed citations and abstracts include the fields of biomedicine
and health, & cover portions of the life sciences, behavioural
sciences, chemical sciences & bioengineering.
 PubMed uses NCBI's Entrez search and retrieval system.
 PubMed does not include the full text of the journal article.
 The abstract display of PubMed citations may provide links to the
full text from other sources, such as directly from a publisher’s
website or PubMed Central (PMC).

7. Bioinformatics Web Resources
EMBL - European Molecular Biology Laboratory
 The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is a Molecular
Biology Research Institution created in 1974.
 EMBL is located on the Wellcome Genome Campus in Hinxton
near Cambridge.
 At EMBL, research is conducted on spectrum of molecular biology.
 EMBL perform basic research in molecular biology, molecular
medicine & training for scientists, students and visitors.
 EMBL aids in development of services, new instruments,
methods, methods, and technology.
 The European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) is an
International Governmental Organization (IGO).
 EMBL focuses on research and services in bioinformatics.

8. Bioinformatics Web Resources
OMIM – Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man
 OMIM is a continuously updated catalogue of human genes,
genetic disorders and traits.
 OMIM focuses on the molecular relationship between genetic
variation and phenotypic expression.
 OMIM is a continuation of Dr. Victor A. McKusick's Mendelian
Inheritance in Man, which was published through 12 editions, the
last in 1998.
 OMIM is based on the peer-reviewed biomedical literature criteria
for inclusion of papers continue to evolve.
 OMIM includes papers that provide significant insight into the
gene-phenotype relationship, expand our understanding of
human biology, or contribute to the characterization of a disorder.
 Information in each OMIM entry is cited & the full reference is
provided.
 OMIM is biocurated at the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic
Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

9. Applications of Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics joins mathematics, statistics, computer
science & information technology to solve complex
biological problems.
Applications of Bioinformatics includes:
 Sequence Analysis
 Prediction of Protein Structure
 Genome Annotation
 Comparative Genomics
 Health and Drug discovery

10. Applications of Bioinformatics –
Sequence Analysis
 Sequence analysis determines those genes which encode
regulatory sequences or peptides by using the information
of sequencing.
 These computers and tools also see the DNA mutations in
an organism and also detect and identify those sequences
which are related.
 Special software is used to see the overlapping of fragments
and their assembly.

11. Applications of Bioinformatics –
Prediction of Protein Structure
 It is easy to determine the primary structure of proteins in
the form of amino acids which are present on the DNA
molecule.
 But it is difficult to determine the secondary, tertiary or
quaternary structures of proteins.
 Tools of bioinformatics can be used to determine the
complex protein structures.

12. Applications of Bioinformatics –
Genome Annotation
 In genome annotation, genomes are marked to know the
regulatory sequences and protein coding.
 It is a very important part of the human genome project as
it determines the regulatory sequences.

13. Applications of Bioinformatics –
Comparative Genomics
 Comparative genomics determines the genomic structure
and function relation between different biological species.
 For this purpose, inter-genomic maps are constructed which
enable the scientists to trace the processes of evolution that
occur in genomes of different species.

14. Applications of Bioinformatics –
Health and Drug discovery
 The tools of bioinformatics are also helpful in drug
discovery, diagnosis and disease management.
 Complete sequencing of human genes has enabled the
scientists to make medicines and drugs which can target
more than 500 genes.