Visually comparing bacteria and mammal genomes
Objective
To have the user visually identify differences between mammalian and bacterial genomes
Background Information
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Time: under 10 minutes
Lesson
Introduction
Bacteria and mammals are obviously very different organisms on the outside and inside, but both utilize DNA in fairly similar fashions. For example they both have sections of DNA that are transcribed into mRNA, which then codes for proteins. Nevertheless, when comparing the locations of coding regions of DNA an obvious difference immerges.
Part 1 - Find and observe a mammalian genome
- Open this link and search for one of the following mammals: Dog, Human, Pig, Horse, or any other mammal you can find in the results field
- Note: many of the results will be for viruses associated with the animal you searched for. To be sure you selected a mammal and not a virus look in the "Organism Information" box for "Mammalia"
2. Make sure the mammal you searched for is highlighted then click "Launch genome viewer" near the bottom left side of the page
- Note: This will open a new window that displays the mammal's genome. You can navigate the genome by using your mouse to zoom out and/or slide to the right right. The green and grey boxes with arrowheads represent genes.