Relevance of Bioinformatics and Database in Omics Study

Abstract

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary branch of biological sciences that assists biologists to interpret and extract the biological information from the omics data. The biological information is further used to create different databases for annotation of an unknown molecules from the novel organism. In the cell, different types of molecules are present with diverse functions. Based on their type and functions, these molecules are divided into various categories. These molecules are majorly categorized into DNA, RNA, proteins, and metabolites. The bioinformatics tools and techniques are specific to study and analyze the variations and mechanism of these molecules. These molecules are divided into different omics for better understanding. In DNA, majorly two types of variations occur, which is categorized as genetic and epigenetic variations and known as genomics and epigenomics variations, respectively. Diversity in RNA is studied under the transcriptome category, where the level of mRNA, their regulatory molecules and modifications during synthesis and post-synthesis are examined. In addition, synthesis, modification, and interaction of proteins and metabolites are studied in proteome and metabolome categories. These studies are being analyzed by different bioinformatics tools and their respective databases are used to extract their biological information. Here, we have discussed in brief about the relevance of various bioinformatics tools and databases, which are being used for the analysis of biologically important molecules. This would provide a basic overview of the importance and application of these tools and databases in different omics study.