Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics

Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics is a guided tour to the new world of -omics. In contrast with most other books on the subject, the work by Campbell and Heyer invites the reader to walk the walk by following a problem-based approach. The descriptive chapters are logically constructed and carefully blended with the case studies, resulting in stimulating and scientifically enriching reading — it is Dr. House on paper.

The sequencing of the human genome and the boom in high-throughput methodology led to the foundation of genomics and modern systems biology. In parallel, increased availability of reliable and fast electronic communication made large quantities of data available to the global scientific community. The need to develop competences in the critical analysis and interpretation of these large scale data sets became pivotal in many fields of biomedical sciences. This book is ideal for all people interested in joining the -omics revolution and who need a solid starting point. The text is definitely more accessible for the scientists familiar with the data and methodology, but its high readability also makes it appropriate for colleagues with clinical background. Beginning researchers and those already at an advanced stage will be pleasantly surprised that one single book adequately tackles the major foundations of both genomics and proteomics. Typically, the genome is not even discussed in the same volume as the proteome, not to mention the integration of both.

The book is divided in three parts. The first deals with the aspects of genome sequence, specifically, its acquisition and analysis. The reader will become familiarized with the essential notions of human genetics and the tools used in the generation of -omics data. Loaded with this basic and technical knowledge, the reader is then invited to take an overview of several model organisms (prokaryotes, yeast, mammals), culminating in a chapter discussing the variability of the human genome. The second part of the book is dedicated to gene expression. It describes the methodology of expression microarray analysis and its application and ends with a chapter fully devoted to proteomics. Finally, the third part approaches systems biology, attempting to integrate data from several dimensions (genomic, proteomic, etc.). Here, the most exciting aspects of the -omics revolution are given attention: single-gene circuits, a.k.a. regulation of gene expression, gene networks and network regulation. In summary, Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics is a recommended read for those looking for a guide to the rapidly evolving fields of genomics and proteomics.