What is transcriptome?
Q. What is a ‘transcriptome’?- Published on 01 Dec 16a. Words written on a grave
b. A slice of gene
c. Set of all messenger RNA molecules in one cell
d. A set of all molecules that make up a gene
ANSWER: Set of all messenger RNA molecules in one cell
A team of scientists from Centre for Ecological Science at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, have not only sequenced the entire genome of the Asian Elephant, but have also for the first time mapped the ‘transcriptome’ - that is, a section of genes active in a particular cell - for the blood cells of the species.
The transcriptome is the set of all messenger RNA molecules in one cell or a population of cells.
Unlike the genome, which is roughly fixed for a given cell line (excluding mutations), the transcriptome can vary with external environmental conditions.
Since it includes all mRNA transcripts in the cell, the transcriptome reflects the genes that are being actively expressed at any given time.
