Genome Annotation

The process of finding functional components along a genome's sequence and thereby giving it meaning is known as genome annotation. It's required because DNA sequencing generates sequences with uncertain functions. Genome annotation has progressed over the last three decades from computational annotation of long protein-coding genes on single genomes (one per species) and experimental annotation of short regulatory elements on a small number of them to population annotation of single nucleotides on thousands of individual genomes (many per species). This improved precision and inclusivity of genome annotations (from genotypes to phenotypes) is allowing researchers to gain more detailed insights into the biology of species, communities, and individuals. Genome annotation is generally done using homology approaches for most organisms. The process of decoding protein sequence data is likewise difficult, and a plethora of tools and specialty databases have been established to help characterise these sequences.