Bioinformatics is the science of storing, retrieving and analysing large amounts of biological information. It involves biologists, computer scientists, and mathematicians analyzing data like DNA sequences, protein domains, and protein sequences. DNA sequencing determines the order of nucleotides in DNA using various techniques to analyze adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Protein domains are basic protein units that can fold and function independently, and domain prediction methods are sequence-based or structure-based. Gene expression can be determined by measuring mRNA levels using techniques like microarrays and RNA sequencing.

1. BIOINFORMATICS FOR
BEGINNERS

2. COURSE INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS BIOINFORMATICS?
-Bioinformatics is the science of storing, retrieving and analysing large
amounts of biological information.
- It is a highly interdisciplinary field involving many different types of
specialists, including biologists, molecular life scientists, computer
scientists and mathematicians.
- The field Bioinformatics include the analysis and interpretation of
data. This also includes analysis of DNA sequence, protein domain ,
protein sequence.

3. DNA SEQUENCING
-DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid
sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA.
-Various techniques were used to analyze the order of four bases-
adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine.

4. PROTEIN SEQUENCES
-Protein domains are the basic units of proteins that can fold,
function, and evolve independently.
-The domain prediction methods into two categories, namely
sequence-based and structure-based.

5. GENE EXPRESSION
The expression of many genes can be determined by measuring mRNA
levels with multiple techniques including microarrays, expressed cDNA
sequence tag (EST) sequencing, serial analysis of gene expression
(SAGE) tag sequencing, massively parallel signature sequencing (MPSS),
RNA-Seq, also known as "Whole Transcriptome Shotgun Sequencing"
(WTSS), or various applications of multiplexed in-situ hybridization.

6. 1. BLAST
The Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) finds regions of
local
similarity between sequences. The program compares nucleotide
or
protein sequences to sequence databases and calculates the
statistical
significance of matches. BLAST can be used to infer functional
and
evolutionary relationships between sequences as well as help
identify

7. 2. ClustalW
Multiple alignments of protein sequences are important tools in
studying sequences. The basic information they provide is
identification
of conserved sequence regions. This is very useful in designing
experiments to test and modify the function of specific proteins, in
predicting the function and structure of proteins, and in identifying
new members of protein families

8. 3. RASMOL
RasMol is a molecular graphics program intended for the
visualisation
of proteins, nucleic acids and small molecules. The program is
aimed at
display, teaching and generation of publication quality images.
4.Other Alignment tools
Many alignment for various functions like
• Protein Structure Prediction Tools- ex: MolSurfer.
• RNA Structure Prediction Tools- ex: MirAlign.
• Molecular Sequence Alignment Tools- ex: Lalign

9. Application of bioinformatics
• There is a tremendous application of bioinformatics in the field of
homology and similarity tools, protein function analysis, personalised
medicine, Gene therapy, Drug development, Comparative Studies and
also climate change studies.
• Bioinformatics plays a vital role in the areas of structural genomics,
functional genomics, and nutritional genomics.
• Bioinformatics is used for transcriptome analysis where mRNA
expression levels can be determined.