Question

Which of the following is untrue about comparative genomics?

(a) It is comparison of whole genomes from different organisms

(b) It includes comparison of gene number, gene location, and gene content from these genomes

(c) It provides insights into the mechanism of genome evolution and gene transfer among genomes

(d) It doesn’t help to reveal the extent of conservation among genomes

This question was posed to me at a job interview.

This key question is from Comparative Genomics in portion Genome Mapping, Assembly and Comparison of Bioinformatics

Answer 1

The correct answer is (c) It provides insights into the mechanism of genome evolution and gene transfer among genomes

Easiest explanation: It helps to understand the pattern of acquisition of foreign genes through lateral gene transfer. It also helps to reveal the core set of genes common among different genomes, which should correspond to the genes that are crucial for survival. This knowledge can be potentially useful in future metabolic pathway engineering.