Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2026

08:01
A Web Tool for Generating High Quality Machine-readable Biological Pathways
Published on: February 8, 2017
Earliest pages of bioinformatics.
1Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. edward.trifonov@weizmann.ac.il
Bioinformatics (Oxford, England)
|May 17, 2000
Summary
This review outlines early bioinformatics history from DNA discovery in 1869 to massive sequencing in 1980-1981. Bioinformatics is defined as the study of molecular biology sequences and their information content.
Area of Science:
- Bioinformatics
- Molecular Biology
- Computational Biology
Background:
- The field of bioinformatics emerged from the need to analyze biological sequence data.
- Early bioinformatics focused on understanding the information encoded within DNA and protein sequences.
Observation:
- This review traces the historical development of bioinformatics from 1869 to 1980-1981.
- Key milestones include the discovery of DNA and the advent of large-scale sequencing technologies.
Findings:
- Bioinformatics is presented as a sub-discipline of molecular biology.
- The core of bioinformatics involves the analysis of amino acid and nucleotide sequences.
Implications:
- Understanding the historical context is crucial for appreciating modern bioinformatics.
- This foundational period set the stage for computational approaches in biological research.
Related Concept Videos
Genomics
Genomics is the science of genomes: it is the study of all the genetic material of an organism. In humans, the genome consists of information carried in 23 pairs of chromosomes in the nucleus, as well as mitochondrial DNA. In genomics, both coding and non-coding DNA is sequenced and analyzed. Genomics allows a better understanding of all living things, their evolution, and their diversity. It has a myriad of uses: for example, to build phylogenetic trees, to improve productivity and...
Protein Networks
An organism can have thousands of different proteins, and these proteins must cooperate to ensure the health of an organism. Proteins bind to other proteins and form complexes to carry out their functions. Many proteins interact with multiple other proteins creating a complex network of protein interactions.
These interactions can be represented through maps depicting protein-protein interaction networks, represented as nodes and edges. Nodes are circles that are representative of a protein,...
These interactions can be represented through maps depicting protein-protein interaction networks, represented as nodes and edges. Nodes are circles that are representative of a protein,...
Synteny and Evolution
John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral chromosome underwent...
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral chromosome underwent...
Protein Folding
Proteins are chains of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. Upon synthesis, a protein folds into a three-dimensional conformation, critical to its biological function. Interactions between its constituent amino acids guide protein folding, and hence the protein structure is primarily dependent on its amino acid sequence.
Protein Structure Is Critical to Its Biological Function
Proteins perform a wide range of biological functions such as catalyzing chemical reactions, providing...
Protein Structure Is Critical to Its Biological Function
Proteins perform a wide range of biological functions such as catalyzing chemical reactions, providing...
Protein Networks
An organism can have thousands of different proteins, and these proteins must cooperate to ensure the health of an organism. Proteins bind to other proteins and form complexes to carry out their functions. Many proteins interact with multiple other proteins creating a complex network of protein interactions.
These interactions can be represented through maps depicting protein-protein interaction networks, represented as nodes and edges. Nodes are circles that are representative of a protein,...
These interactions can be represented through maps depicting protein-protein interaction networks, represented as nodes and edges. Nodes are circles that are representative of a protein,...
IP3/DAG Signaling Pathway
Membrane lipids such as phosphatidylinositol (PI) are precursors for several membrane-bound and soluble second messengers. Specific kinases phosphorylate PI and produce phosphorylated inositol phospholipids. One such inositol phospholipids are the phosphatidylinositol-4,5 bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2], present in the inner half of the lipid bilayer. Upon ligand binding, GPCR stimulates Gq proteins to turn on phospholipase Cꞵ. Activated phospholipase Cꞵ cleaves PI(4,5)P2 and produces two-second...

