What you have learnt in this course

We hope you have enjoyed your time with us.

During the length of this three-week course you have become familiar with whole genome sequences, and the tools we can use for studying them, such as Artemis, an open source genome browser specifically designed for the visualisation of bacterial genomes. . We learnt about multi-fasta files and how they differ from single fasta sequences. We also learnt about the differences between a finished genome and a draft genome, and the advantages and disadvantages of each.

We accessed and downloaded whole genome sequences. We learnt about genome annotation, identifying the genes and proteins encoded in genome sequences, and we learnt how we can visualise these useful annotations in Artemis. We looked at examples of annotated genes and proteins, we learnt about genomic regions defined by GC (guanine-cytosine) content and pathogenicity islands.

We completed a Peer Review Project on the ecological niche adaptation between two Mycobacterium species, M. leprae and M. tuberculosis, using Artemis to compare their genetic differences. We learnt about pseudogenes in Mycobacterium species and found that there was a greater accumulation of these pseudogenes in M. leprae, which we concluded could be an adaptation that enables _M. leprae_to survive in a specific ecological niche.

During this course, you have learnt how to use Artemis, a free genome browser, to access and analyse microbial genome data and you have learnt about the genomics of a number of disease-causing microbes. You have used demonstrations and hands-on learning to gain fundamental skills in microbial bioinformatics. Your completion of this course provides you with a strong foundation for your future study of microbial genomes.

Well done!