Whois & Analysis for genomeweb.com

Molecular biology concerns the molecular basis of biological activity between biomolecules in the various systems of a cell, including the interactions between DNA, RNA, and proteins and their biosynthesis, as well as the regulation of these interactions.

Writing in Nature in 1961, William Astbury described molecular biology as:

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a molecule that carries the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning and reproduction of all known living organisms and many viruses.

DNA and RNA are nucleic acids; alongside proteins, lipids and complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides), they are one of the four major types of macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life.

Most DNA molecules consist of two biopolymer strands coiled around each other to form a double helix.

Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of science focusing on genomes.

A genome is a complete set of DNA within a single cell of an organism, and as such genomics is a branch of molecular biology concerned with the structure, function, evolution, and mapping of genomes.

Genomics aims at the collective characterization and quantification of genes, which direct the production of proteins with the assistance of enzymes and messenger molecules.

Proteins in turn make up body structures like organs and tissues as well as control chemical reactions and carry signals between cells.

If a cell's DNA is mutated, an abnormal protein may be produced, which can disrupt the body's usual processes and in some cases lead to diseases such as cancer.

In contrast to genetics, which refers to the study of genes and their roles in inheritance, genomics is the study of genes, their functions, and related techniques, such as applications of recombinant DNA, DNA sequencing methods, and bioinformatics to sequence, assemble, and analyze the function and structure of genomes.

Advances in genomics have triggered a revolution in discovery-based research to understand even the most complex biological systems such as the brain.

The field includes efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping.

The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis, epistasis, pleiotropy and other interactions between loci and alleles within the genome.

Research carried out into single genes does not generally fall into the definition of genomics unless the aim of this genetic, pathway, and functional information analysis is to elucidate its effect on, place in, and response to the entire genomes networks.

In modern molecular biology and genetics, a genome is the genetic material of an organism.

It consists of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses).

The genome includes both the genes (the coding regions), the noncoding DNA and the genetic material of the mitochondria and chloroplasts.

Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in living organisms.

It is generally considered a field of biology, but intersects frequently with many other life sciences and is strongly linked with the study of information systems.