Beginning Student

Gene Annotation using GEP Tools

Dr. Julie Emerson (Amherst College) has developed a simple introduction to the GEP annotation project for the 2012 ABLE conference. This set of documents provides an overview of the GEP’s scientific and educational goals and then goes through examples of how GEP materials are being utilized at multiple colleges and universities, focusing on gene annotation in an introductory biology course at Amherst College.
Gene Annotation using GEP Tools
Introduction to the Genomics Education Partnership
Annotation Report for the Spinophilin G Isoform of D. erecta
A Sample Annotation Problem — Instructor Answer Key
Introduction to BLAST
2012 ABLE Workshop Photos

Introduction to the Complete GEP Gene Annotation Process

Developed by Dr. Ken Saville (Albion College) and Dr. Gerard McNeil (York College, City University of New York), this walkthrough provides a comprehensive overview of the entire GEP gene annotation process. This walkthrough includes a brief description of the research problem and step-by-step instructions on how to use the UCSC Genome Browser, FlyBase, the Gene Record Finder and NCBI BLAST to investigate a feature in a Drosophila erecta Muller F element annotation project. The walkthrough then shows how students can use the Gene Model Checker to verify a gene model; it also includes a sample GEP Annotation Report.

Introduction to BLAST using Human Leptin

Dr. Justin R. DiAngelo (Penn State Berks) and Dr. Alexis Nagengast (Widener University) have developed an exercise that introduces students to the basic functionality of the NCBI web site and NCBI BLAST. Students will use NCBI BLAST to identify the putative orthologs of the human Leptin gene in other species.

Module TSS4: Annotation of Broad Transcription Start Sites

This module illustrates the use of computational (e.g., blastn) and experimental (e.g., RAMPAGE, CAGE, RNA PolII ChIP-Seq) data to define the narrow and wide TSS search regions for genes with broad promoters.

Module TSS3: CAGE, RAMPAGE, and RNA Pol II X-ChIP-Seq

This module uses the placement of the Initiator (Inr) motif, TSS annotations produced by the Celniker group at modENCODE, and experimental data such as CAGE, RAMPAGE, and RNA Polymerase II X-ChIP-Seq data to characterize the promoter for the Antp gene in D. melanogaster.

Module TSS2: Using Sequence Alignment to Identify a TSS

This module illustrates how pairwise (blastn) and multiple sequence alignments can be used in conjunction with RNA-Seq data and the Short Match functionality of the UCSC Genome Browser to facilitate the TSS annotation of the Antp gene in D. eugracilis.

Module TSS1: Transcription Start Sites Introduction

This module describes how Celniker TSS annotations, DNase I hypersensitive sites, and the 9-state chromatin models can be used in the classification of promoter shape for the Antp gene.

Module 6. Alternative splicing

This module explores how multiple different mRNAs and polypeptides can be encoded by the same gene. After completing this module students will be able to explain how alternative splicing of a gene can lead to different mRNAs and illustrate how alternative splicing can lead to the production of different polypeptides and result in drastic changes in phenotype.
Exercise
Answer Key
Exercise
Answer Key