In the context of the developments in Bioinformatics, the term 'transcriptome', sometimes seen in the news, refers to
A
a range of enzymes used in genome editing
B
the full range of mRNA molecules expressed by an organism
C
the description of the mechanism of gene expression
D
a mechanism of genetic mutations taking place in cells
Correct Answer: Option B
Explanation
1. Bioinformatics involves the application of computational tools to analyze biological data.
2. The term 'transcriptome' refers to the complete set of RNA transcripts (including mRNA, tRNA, rRNA, and other non-coding RNAs) that are produced by an organism or a specific cell type under specific conditions.
3. Option (B), "the full range of mRNA molecules expressed by an organism", captures the essence of the transcriptome, as mRNA represents the genes being actively expressed (transcribed into RNA) to potentially produce proteins. While the full transcriptome includes non-coding RNAs, the mRNA component is central to understanding gene expression patterns.
4. Option (A) is incorrect; enzymes used in genome editing (like CRISPR-Cas9) are tools, not the transcriptome.
5. Option (C) describes the process or mechanism of gene expression, not the set of RNA products.
6. Option (D) describes genetic mutations, which are alterations in the DNA sequence, not the RNA transcripts.