what is a genome? – Sanger Zone – Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

Question: what is a genome?
- Keywords:
  genome
Asked by griff4 to Alex, Carl, Cordelia, Julian P, Paul on 7 Dec 2011.
- Julian Parkhill answered on 7 Dec 2011:
  
  The set of instructions for making an organism, encoded in DNA
- Cordelia Langford answered on 7 Dec 2011:
  
  @griff4 A genome is a series of chemical letters or bases (A, T, G and C) encoded in DNA containing the instructions for an organism to develop and function. By sequencing a genome we decode the bases and can identify abnormalities or mutations which might lead to the development of disease. DNA itself is a long molecule which is shrink-wrapped into cells in our bodies. To sequence a genome, we first have to prepare the DNA, which might have been extracted from a patient’s blood. The DNA is treated with chemicals to unravel the molecular structure. We then use sequencing machines to read the sequence of bases and compare them to a normal reference using computers.
- Carl Anderson answered on 7 Dec 2011:
  
  The genome is your entire genetic code, and it is contained inside almost every cell in your body. It codes the structure of proteins that make up your body.
- Alex Bateman answered on 7 Dec 2011:
  
  Well Wikipedia says 😉
  “In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism’s hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA.”
  Hmm, I think that could be improved …
- Paul Flicek answered on 7 Dec 2011:
  
  A genome is the set of instructions for any living thing from people to plants to bacteria. It is made up of DNA. For most genomes we only understand some of the concepts, but not the details. For example, we know what part of the human genome gives some diseases, but we don’t know all the parts of the genome that make you tall.

Question: what is a genome?

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