Bioinformatics

Objectives

  • Theoretical knowledge of basic concepts of evolution and molecular epidemiology.
  • Storing information: databases
  • Exploring and using public systems of sequence similarity database searching.
  • Sequence alignment
  • Phylogenetic trees
  •  

Skills

  • To know the fundamental evolutionary concepts used in Public Health.
  • To know how to use the most important public systems for data search.
  • To know how to make alignments and phylogenetic trees of genomic sequences.
  • To be able to analyse the obtained information in the context of Public Health.

Competences

  • To be able to use the bibliographic, methodological and technological resources to solve a scientific problem using bioinformatics.

General characterization

Code

12399

Credits

4.0

Responsible teacher

Ana Barroso Abecasis, Isabel Cristina Maciel Natário

Hours

Weekly - Available soon

Total - Available soon

Teaching language

Português

Prerequisites

NA

Bibliography

Available soon

Teaching method

Available soon

Evaluation method

Available soon

Subject matter

1. Theoretical knowledge of basic concepts of evolution and molecular epidemiology

1.1 The genetic code

1.2 Mutations: transitions and transversions

1.3 Evolutiona and mutations fixationsEvolução e fixação de mutações

1.4 Selective pressurePressão selectiva

1.5 Evolutionary models: stochastic and deterministic

1.6 Evolutionary rate

1.7 Molecular clock

 

2. Storing information: databases

2.1 Primary vs Secondary databases

2.2 Literature search and organizing information

2.3 Databases of nucleotide sequences

2.4 Databases of aminoacid sequences

 

3. Sequence alignments

3.1 Homology vs Similarity

3.2 Definition of Alignments

3.3 Types of alignments

3.3.1 Pairwise alignments: BLAST

       3.3.2 Multiple alignments

       3.3.3 Local vs Global alignments

3.4 Nucleotide vs Aminoacid alignments

3.5 Practical exercises

 

4. Phylogenetic trees

              4.1 Definition of phylogenetic trees

              4.2 Rooted and unrooted phylogenetic trees

              4.3 Monophyly vs Paraphyly

              4.4 Methods to estimate phylogenetic trees

              4.5 Estimating tree and clustering reliability

              4.6 Practical exercises

Programs

Programs where the course is taught: