ABSTRACT
A human genome consists of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) content of a human cell, and it contains all the information that is required for the development of a human being from a fertilized egg, a single cell. DNA is a linear polymer, composed of four nucleotides or bases, A (adenine), C (cytosine), G (guanine), and T (thymine), that are linked together by a sugar-phosphate backbone. A major objective of the human genome program is to locate and characterize genes responsible for genetic disease, thereby accelerating understanding and possible treatment of the diseases. Only a small fraction of the human genome codes for proteins. Major elements of the Human Genome Program concern the determination of maps of the 24 kinds of human chromosomes at various degrees of resolution. Extensive mapping data will be generated in the Human Genome Project, especially which is concerning the genetic linkage maps, physical maps, and the sequences.
