Introductory Chapter: Transcriptome Analysis

Abstract

The central dogma of molecular biology describes the flow of genetic information from genes to functions of the cells and organisms. This comprises a two-step process: first, DNA, the permanent, heritable, genetic information repository, is transcribed by the RNA polymerase enzymes into RNA, a short-lasting information carrier; second, a subset of RNA, the messenger RNAs, mRNAs, are translated into protein. The transcriptome, then, is the complete set of all RNA molecules in a cell, a population of cells or in an organism. in tissues.