Exam 6: Microbial Genomics

The intracellular parasite Nanoarchaeum equitans has one of the smallest prokaryotic genomes.Why is the genome of N.equitans so small? How is it possible that the genome of N.equitans contains more genes than that of Mycoplasma genitalium,which is actually 90 kbp larger?

You want to know whether the virulence genes present in Bordetella pertussis are evolutionarily related to genes in the less pathogenic species B.bronchiseptica or if the virulence genes were acquired via horizontal gene transfer.What characteristic(s)would you compare to answer this question?

Explain why the proteome is NOT defined as "all the proteins encoded by an organism's genome."

Explain why larger genomes contain more genes devoted to regulation than smaller genomes and why these genes increase the competitiveness of organisms.

Interpret the genomic content of mitochondria in relation to their evolution.How is mitochondrial evolution more complicated than expected?

A computer program recognizes an ORF by looking for ribosomal binding sites,start codons,and stop codons with an appropriate number of nucleotides between each element.What is a drawback of this approach?

You are interested in the minimum set of genes necessary for survival of a eukaryotic microorganism such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae.Design an experiment to systematically test which genes are essential for survival and which are not under high nutrient,aerobic conditions.

Fourth-generation sequencing methods no longer use ________ to detect nucleotide incorporation.

Recommend what type of data should be collected and analyzed in a systems biology approach to investigate how a non-pathogenic bacterial strain becomes pathogenic.Describe what scientific fields and methods would be involved in your recommendation.

________ of prokaryotic genomes are now available in public databases.

Explain how mass spectrometry (MS)has aided in the progression of the field of metabolomics.

Explain why organisms undergoing rapid evolutionary change often contain relatively large numbers of mobile DNA elements,whereas once organisms settle into a stable evolutionary niche,most of these mobile elements are lost.

Paralogs always have the same function.

When analyzing the sequence of genes similar to ones already known,why is the amino acid sequence of the protein more important than the DNA sequence?

Few genes in all organisms have common evolutionary roots.

The most abundant genes in prokaryotic genomes are

The very first DNA sequencing technology called the Sanger method relies on

Chromosomal rearrangements due to insertion sequences have apparently contributed to the evolution of several human pathogens.

It is generally accepted that independent mutation rather than gene duplication is the mechanism for evolution of most new genes.

The largest cellular genomes belong to prokaryotes that are parasitic or pathogenic.