Plant Bioinformatic Methods

Large-scale biology projects have generated a wealth of data for biologists, creating the challenge of analyzing and accessing these data. Bioinformatic Methods I focuses on employing existing bioinformatic resources to access and analyze data, covering multiple sequence alignments, phylogenetics, gene expression data analysis, and protein interaction networks. It provides a hands-on experience with essential bioinformatic tools and resources.

Bioinformatic Methods II continues the exploration of large-scale biology projects, focusing on employing bioinformatic resources to access and analyze data. This module covers motif searching, protein-protein interactions, structural bioinformatics, gene expression data analysis, and cis-element predictions. It provides students with a comprehensive understanding of various bioinformatic tools relevant to biological sciences and molecular medicine.

Plant Bioinformatics delves into the exciting developments in plant biology over the past 15 years, covering topics such as genome sequencing, RNA-seq, protein-protein interactions, and data analysis methods. This module explores 33 plant-specific online tools for genome browsers, transcriptomic data mining, promoter/network analyses, and more, providing a hands-on experience for students interested in plant molecular biology.

The Plant Bioinformatics Capstone utilizes the 33 plant-specific online tools covered in the previous modules to hypothesize a biological role for a gene of unknown function. Students summarize their findings in a written lab report, applying their knowledge and skills gained throughout the course. This capstone project offers a valuable opportunity for students to showcase their understanding of plant bioinformatic methods.