Genomics vs. Proteomics: What’s the difference?

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Genomics studies the genome, while proteomics studies proteins and the proteome. They are related but different fields, with genomics focusing on the traits coded in the genome and proteomics looking at how the genome is expressed in the body. Both require extensive scientific training and can be applied in fields like medicine and pharmacology. Early education is similar, but advanced studies diverge. Researchers in genomics and proteomics may work in different labs and apply their research in different ways.

Genomics and proteomics are closely related fields of science. One centers on the study of the genome, the set of inherited material found in every cell in the body. The other is the study of proteins and the proteome, the collection of individual proteins in certain cells, as well as the whole body. An understanding of one is usually required for the other, but they are two different fields of study.

To separate the study of genomics from proteomics, it helps to borrow the metaphor of a library. The genome is the card catalog, the listing of everything that should be in the library. The proteome is the actual contents of the library. Genome researchers are interested in seeing the traits that the genome codes for, in understanding the role of DNA that does not appear to encode anything, such as papers referencing lost books and books that have been mined, and in seeing how traits are inherited.

People who study proteomics are interested in how the genome is actually expressed in the body. They look at how proteins are formed, what interferes with protein production, how protein variants arise, and related issues. Genomics and proteomics are certainly related, as the genome provides the blueprints for the proteome. Protein mapping and research provides researchers with insight into how the same gene can express itself differently in different individuals, and also adds insight and insight for researchers interested in knowing how proteins behave in the body.

Both genomics and proteomics require extensive scientific training. Many people who work in both fields have advanced degrees and spend a lot of their time in the lab. Their work can also be applied to fields like pharmacology and medicine, where people put the information they’re gathering in the lab into real use in the field. There are many shared interests among researchers in genomics and proteomics.

Early education for both fields tends to be similar, as people must learn the same basic fundamentals if they intend to untangle the mysteries of the genome or learn more about protein structure. As people enter more advanced studies, their work begins to diverge and they enter different areas of study. Genomics and proteomics researchers may end up working in different labs and environments and apply their research in different ways; a genomics researcher, for example, can identify a DNA sequence that codes for the expression of a particular protein, and a proteomics researcher can shed light on what that protein does.




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