Q.Give an account of human-genome project.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →The Human Genome Project (1990–2003) was an international project that sequenced the entire human genome (~3 billion base pairs, ~20,000–25,000 genes), giving a complete genetic map of humans for use in medicine, diagnostics and research.
The Human Genome Project (HGP) was a landmark international scientific programme launched in 1990 and completed in 2003, coordinated mainly in the USA (with the participation of many countries) and involving agencies such as the US Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health, along with the Celera Genomics company. A genome is the complete set of genes/DNA of an organism.
Aims/goals of the Human Genome Project:
- To determine the complete nucleotide (base) sequence of the entire human DNA — about 3 billion (3 × 10^9) base pairs.
- To identify all the genes in human DNA (estimated at about 20,000–25,000 genes) and map their positions on the 24 different chromosomes (22 autosomes + X + Y).
- To store this vast information in databases (bioinformatics).
- To develop tools and technologies (improved sequencing methods, software) for analysing the data.
- To address the ethical, legal and social issues (ELSI) arising from the knowledge of the human genome.
Methods used (in brief):
- The DNA was broken into fragments, cloned into vectors (BAC, YAC) to make libraries, and sequenced. Two main approaches were used: the systematic 'clone-by-clone' (map-based) sequencing by the public consortium and the 'shotgun' sequencing by Celera. Powerful computers and bioinformatics tools then assembled and aligned the sequences and annotated the genes.
Salient findings of the HGP:
- The human genome contains about 3.1 billion base pairs.
- There are far fewer genes than expected — roughly 20,000–25,000.
- Over 99.9% of the DNA sequence is the same in all humans; individuals differ in only a tiny fraction.
- Only about 2% of the genome codes for proteins; a large part is non-coding (including repetitive sequences).
- Chromosome 1 has the most genes; the Y chromosome the fewest.
Applications and importance: …
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