Basic Overview
Bioinformatics is a specialized information technology field that develops algorithm and software processes to analyze large-scale biological datasets in an effort to understand biological systems. This activity aims to introduce one aspect of bioinformatics by mapping the DNA sequence for the ‘SMART’ peptide sequence by hand (reverse translation), developing an algorithm for this, and determining if there is a human protein that contains this peptide. We will be able to see for ourselves one small example of why bioinformatics is a necessary and valuable component of the field.
* Idea Credit: Mi-Youn Brusniak (Project Violet)
Instructions and Materials
The following file contains the background and instructions for this bioinformatics introduction activity: