Introduction to Bioinformatics

The book provides an undergraduate (final year) introduction to bioinformatics focussing on two key areas, genomics and protein sequence analysis. It provides an overview of primary, composite and secondary databases, and gives a brief introduction to the Internet and the world wide web.

Bioinformatics, the application of computers in biological sciences and especially analysis of biological sequence data, is becoming an essential tool in molecular biology as genome projects generate vast quantities of data. With new sequences being added to DNA databases, on average, once a minute, there is a pressing need to convert this information into biochemical and biophysical knowledge by deciphering the structural, functional and evolutionary clues encoded in the language of biological sequences.

The unique combination of this timely text and its linked World Wide Web site provide an ideal guide to bioinformatics for newcomers to the field, focusing on two key areas; genomic and protein sequence analysis. The text begins by introducing the most popular databases (protein and nucleic acid), information resources and analysis methods (sequence alignment and pattern recognition) currently available providing the basis for readers to progress to hands-on practical sequence analysis. Chapter 9 then provides a tutorial directly linked to a real application, in the form of an internationally acclaimed interactive bioinformatics practical on the World Wide Web.

The authors aim to encourage a thoughtful approach to sequence analysis and emphasise underlying concepts since, in this rapidly developing area, the specifics will change very quickly.

Features:

• Unique guide to bioinformatics linked to an interactive practical on the World Wide Web
• Introduces key databases, tools and resources and outlines pitfalls of methods
• The Web link provides an excellent opportunity to integrate conventional and Web-based publishing, allowing interactive exploration of concepts discussed in the book