Genomics Glossary for Browsing Genomes

coverage plot	A plot where the RNAseq data is displayed graphically. The more sequence reads you have in a region the higher the plot is. More RNA sequence reads means more gene expression.
Cystic Fibrosis	a disease which causes severe lung and digestive system damage and leads to respiratory failure
database	an organized collection of information that can be accessed, managed, and updated
diploid	an organism or cell that contains paired chromosomes. The set consists of one chromosome from each parent.
eukaryotic	cells that contain membrane-bound organelles, especially the nucleus
exome	a collection of all the protein-coding sequences (exons) found in the genome. This is the part of the human genome we understand best, but the exome only makes up about 2% of the entire genome.
exons	the pieces of RNA that we keep in the final messenger RNA molecule to code for proteins
gene	a unit of DNA that controls specific traits
gene expression	the process by which instructions in our DNA are converted into functional products, such as proteins (read more about the basics of gene expression)
gene ID	a unique sequence of numbers and/or letters (similar to a social security number) to identify a gene
genome	all the DNA in an organism
genome browser (GBrowse)	an interactive interface that displays and offers access to genomic data (similar to google maps but for genomes)
genomics	the study of a large number of genes and their interactions and/or of entire genomes (all of the DNA in an organism) to learn what kind of information is coded in these DNA sequences and how the DNA instructions are carried out
haploid	a cell or organism that contains only a single set of unpaired chromosomes
kilobase (Kbs)	a measure of DNA length. One kilobase equals 1000 bases or 1000 nucleotides.
kinase	a protein that phosphorylates (adds a phosphate group) other proteins
log base 2 scale	log₂(x) means the power you have to raise 2 to get x (i.e. 2² = 4, so log₂(4) is 2)
parasite	an organism that exploits a host organism at the host's expense
proteins	large complex molecules that perform many critical roles for an organism to function
ribonucleic acid (RNA)	a nucleic acid molecule that is implicated in various biological roles, including coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes.
sequencing	The process of determining the order of nucleotides that makes up DNA or RNA
species	a group of living organisms that have many characteristics in common and are capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. It is the principal natural taxonomic unit below a genus.
Tachyzoite	the life stage of Toxoplasma when it infects humans
ToxoDB	a functional genomic online database for organisms that causes disease in humans and animals
Toxoplasma gondii	a unicellular eukaryotic parasite
Toxoplasmosis	a disease caused by Toxoplasma infection
unicellular	an adjective to describe a single-celled organism
UTRs	untranslated 5’ and 3’ regions in genes that are made into RNA but do not get translated like the protein coding section of the gene