The main tools and methods of genomics include bioinformatics, genetic analysis, gene expression determination and gene function identification.
Early sorting work
As rosalind franklin confirmed the helical structure of DNA around 194 1, james watson and francis crick published the structure of DNA in 1953, and frederick sanger published the amino acid sequence of insulin in 1955, so nucleic acid sequencing became a main goal of early molecular biologists.
Development of DNA sequencing technology
In addition to pioneering work on the amino acid sequence of insulin, frederick sanger and his colleagues played a key role in the development of DNA sequencing technology, which can start the establishment of a comprehensive genome sequencing plan. 1975, he and Allen Coulson published the sequencing process of nucleotides labeled with DNA polymerase and radioactivity, which he called "addition and subtraction sequencing technology".
This process can achieve one-time sequencing of 80 nucleotides, which is a great progress compared with the previous very laborious process. 1977, his team was able to sequence 5386 nucleotides of most single-stranded phage φ-X 174, and completed the world's first DNA-based whole genome sequencing.
The improvement of "addition and subtraction sequencing method" leads to chain termination method, or Sanger sequencing method, which forms the technical basis of DNA sequencing, genome mapping and data storage, and is also the most widely used bioinformatics analysis in the next quarter century.
In the same year, walter gilbert and Allen maxam of Harvard University independently developed Maxam-Gilbert sequencing (also known as chemical method) for DNA sequencing, which involves the preferential cleavage of known bases in DNA and is an inefficient method. Gilbert and Sanger shared the 1980 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with paul berg for their pioneering work in nucleic acid sequencing.