ABSTRACT
This chapter is devoted to understand the basic steps involved in sequencing of genome, location of genes in DNA sequences and understanding how the genome functions. Gene location in DNA sequence is the prime aspect followed by its function. Once a DNA sequence has been obtained then various methods can be employed to locate the genes, which can be simple sequence inspection by computer and the methods that involve experimental analysis. Functional genomics involves a study of functions of all specific gene sequences and their expression in time and space in an organism. Computer analysis plays an important role in locating genes in the DNA sequences. It locates genes by comparing the DNA sequence under study with all the other DNA sequences in the databases. The basis of homology searching is that the related genes have similar sequences and so a new gene is discovered by virtue of its similarity to an equivalent, already sequenced gene from a different organism.
