Explained | What is genome sequencing and why does the Genome India Project matter?Premium
The Hindu
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) recently said that the exercise to sequence 10,000 Indian human genomes and create a database under the Centre-backed Genome India Project is about two-thirds complete.
The story so far: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) recently said that the exercise to sequence 10,000 Indian human genomes and create a database under the Centre-backed Genome India Project is about two-thirds complete. About 7,000 Indian genomes have already been sequenced of which, 3,000 are available for public access by researchers.
The proponents of the project say it would enable researchers anywhere in the world to learn about genetic variants unique to the Indian population. Countries including the United Kingdom, China, and the United States have launched similarprogrammes to sequence at least 1,00,000 of their population’s genomes.
What is genome sequencing?
The human genome is the entire set of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)residing in the nucleus of every cell of each human body. It carries the complete genetic information responsible for the development and functioning of the organism. The DNA consists of a double-stranded molecule built up by four bases – adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T). Every base on one strand pairs with a complementary base on the other strand (A with T and C with G) In all, the genome is made up of approximately 3.05 billion such base pairs. .
While the sequence or order of base pairs is identical in all humans, compared to that of a mouse or another species, there are differences in the genome of every human being that makes them unique. The process of deciphering the order of base pairs, to decode the genetic fingerprint of a human is called genome sequencing.
In 1990, a group of scientists began to work on determining the whole sequence of the human genome under the Human Genome Project. The first results of the complete human genome sequence were given in 2003. However, some percentage of repetitive parts were yet to be sequenced. The Human Genome Project released the latest version of the complete human genome in 2023, with a 0.3% error margin.
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