DNA and Gene Sequencing

DNA and Gene Sequencing

Introduction

DNA and Gene Sequencing began in the mid-1970s. At this time, scientists could only sequence a few pairs of genes per year. They could not sequence enough to make up a single gene, much less the whole human genome. (DNA Sequencing) Beginning in the 1990s only a few labs had been able to sequence a mere 100,00 gene bases and the costs for sequencing were extremely high. Since then improvemetns in technology have incresed the speed and decresed the cost of gene sequencing to the point where some labs have sequenced well over 100 million DNA bases per year. (DNA Sequencing)

The Human Genome Project , or HGP, was created to help develop new and better tools for making gene hunts faster, cheaper, and practical for almost any scientist. The tools created by this project included genetic maps, physical maps, and DNA sequence maps. The greatest achievement of the HGP was their success in sequencing the entire length of human DNA, referred to as the human genome. With the sequencing of the human genome complete, HGP was able to go on to sequence the genes of several key organisms, like mice, mosquitos, and plants like mustard weed and rice.(Figure 1) The simplicity of the genetic structure of these organisms makes them perfect for future technology development. (DNA Sequencing)

Providing a reference sequence for the human genome and of the human genome is an astonishing achievement in the field of Gene Sequecing, further advancements in sequencing technology will have to be made so large amounts of DNA can be worked on and compared with other genomes quickly and inexpensively. Scientists need to know the sequences of multiple different gene bases because it tells them what sort of genetic informati...

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Works Cited

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DNA Sequencing. 27 December 2011. 18 March 2014 .

Gonzaga-Jauregui, Cludia, James R Lupski and Richard A Gibbs. Human Genome Sequencing in Health and Disease. 2012. 17 March 2014 .

Porter, Sandra. Basics: How do you sequence a genome? Part IV. How many reads does it take? 30 January 2007. 28 March 2014 .

University of Delaware. Interpreting Electropherograms. 28 March 2014 .

Wetterstrand, Kris. DNA Sequencing Costs. 17 February 2014. 17 March 2014 .

Winstead, Edward R. Humans and Mice Together at Last. 31 May 2002. 22 March 2014 .