Download Assigned exercise

Assignment 1 – part 1
Copyright 2008, Gale Rhodes, adapted by permission.
1. Start at the NCBI Map Viewer. How many genes in the human genome contain the
term "homeo" in their name? To be sure you find them all, search for "*homeo*".
The asterisks are wild cards., which means that you are searching for "homeo"
preceded or followed by any other characters.
Number found: ______ .
2. Which chromosome contains the largest number of these genes? How many?
Chromosome # ______ ; Number of "homeo" genes on this chromosome: ______ .
3. Among the genes found in question 1, find one that has a role in insulin action.
Name of the gene: _____________________________. Four-character ID: ______ .
4. What chromosome contains this gene?
Chromosome # ______ .
5. According to OMIM, what is the role of the protein encoded by this gene?
Role (limit to 25 of your own –don’t just paste from web site! words):
6. Go to ExPASy. How many annotated human genes in SwissProt and trEMBL
contain the term "homeo"? Note that "*" is automatically used as prefix and suffix
unless you specify otherwise.
Number found: ______ .
7. What can you find out about the function of this similar gene?
Basic Bioinformatics
Sheller
Fall 2008
Page 1
Assignment 1 – Part 2
In part 2, you’ll take a guided tour of PubMed courtesy of the site’s tutorial, at the link below:
PubMed tutorial: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/disted/pubmedtutorial/020_010.html
The tutorial consists of several dozen pages online, but they are relatively short and easy to
understand. Pay particular attention to the sections on navigating PubMed’s home page, using
fields to narrow down a search, and Boolean logic.
Be prepared for a brief quiz at the beginning of the next class!
When you have finished the tutorial, choose a gene, protein, disease or condition that interests
you. Make a list of keywords you might use that pertain to your chosen subject:
Search PubMed for information about your subject. Find a review article with free full-text
available online. Give the citation for the article below:
Basic Bioinformatics
Sheller
Fall 2008
Page 2