Genome

How it is used

Researchers sequence, assemble and annotate genomes. The human genome has about 3 billion base pairs and roughly 20,000 protein-coding genes. The field is called genomics, and the adjective is genomic, as in genomic DNA.

Example sentences

1. The first draft of the human genome was published in 2001.

2. We sequenced the genome of a new bacterial strain isolated from hot springs.

Common collocations

• human genome
• genome sequencing
• whole genome
• genome size
• genomic DNA

Related terms

• DNAShort for deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that stores genetic information in every cell and in many viruses. It is made of two strands twisted into a double helix.
• geneA section of DNA that carries the instructions for making a particular protein or functional RNA. Genes are the basic units of heredity passed from parents to offspring.
• chromosomeA long, tightly packed structure of DNA and proteins that carries many genes. Human body cells normally have 46 chromosomes, arranged in 23 pairs.
• nucleotideThe basic building block of DNA and RNA, made of a sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogen-containing base such as adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G) or cytosine (C).

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• genome · Genetics & Biotechnology

More terms: Genetics and Heredity

• trait
• mutation
• meiosis
• allele
• genotype
• phenotype
• dominant
• recessive
• inherit
• RNA
• gene expression
• transcription