Editing Bioinformatics (section)

{{Short description|Computational analysis of large, complex sets of biological data}}
{{For|the journal|Bioinformatics (journal)}}
{{Not to be confused with|Biological computation|Genetic algorithm}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
[[File:WPP domain alignment.PNG|500px|thumbnail|right|Early bioinformatics—computational alignment of experimentally determined sequences of a class of related proteins; see {{Section link||Sequence analysis}} for further information.]]
[[Image:Genome viewer screenshot small.png|thumbnail|220px|Map of the human X chromosome (from the [[National Center for Biotechnology Information]] (NCBI) website)]]

'''Bioinformatics''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-bioinformatics.ogg|ˌ|b|aɪ|.|oʊ|ˌ|ɪ|n|f|ɚ|ˈ|m|æ|t|ɪ|k|s}}) is an [[interdisciplinary]] field of [[science]] that develops methods and [[Bioinformatics software|software tool]]s for understanding [[biological]] data, especially when the data sets are large and complex. Bioinformatics uses [[biology]], [[chemistry]], [[physics]], [[computer science]], [[data science]], [[computer programming]], [[information engineering]], [[mathematics]] and [[statistics]] to analyze and interpret [[biological data]]. The process of analyzing and interpreting data can sometimes be referred to as [[computational biology]], however this distinction between the two terms is often disputed. To some, the term ''computational biology'' refers to building and using models of biological systems.

Computational, statistical, and computer programming techniques have been used  for [[In silico|computer simulation]] analyses of biological queries. They include reused specific analysis "pipelines", particularly in the field of [[genomics]], such as by the identification of [[gene]]s and single [[nucleotide]] polymorphisms ([[SNPs]]). These pipelines are used to better understand the genetic basis of disease, unique adaptations, desirable properties (especially in agricultural species), or differences between populations. Bioinformatics also includes [[proteomics]], which tries to understand the organizational principles within [[nucleic acid]] and [[protein]] sequences.<ref>{{cite web |vauthors=Lesk AM |date=26 July 2013 |title=Bioinformatics |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/bioinformatics |website=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=17 April 2017 |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414103621/https://www.britannica.com/science/bioinformatics |url-status=live }}</ref>

Image and [[signal processing]] allow extraction of useful results from large amounts of raw data. In the field of genetics, it aids in sequencing and annotating genomes and their observed [[mutation]]s. Bioinformatics includes [[text mining]] of biological literature and the development of biological and gene [[ontologies]] to organize and query biological data. It also plays a role in the analysis of gene and protein expression and regulation. Bioinformatics tools aid in comparing, analyzing and interpreting genetic and genomic data and more generally in the understanding of evolutionary aspects of molecular biology. At a more integrative level, it helps analyze and catalogue the biological pathways and networks that are an important part of [[systems biology]]. In [[structural biology]], it aids in the simulation and modeling of DNA,<ref name=":0">{{cite journal | vauthors = Sim AY, Minary P, Levitt M | title = Modeling nucleic acids | journal = Current Opinion in Structural Biology | volume = 22 | issue = 3 | pages = 273–8 | date = June 2012 | pmid = 22538125 | pmc = 4028509 | doi = 10.1016/j.sbi.2012.03.012 }}</ref> RNA,<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Dawson WK, Maciejczyk M, Jankowska EJ, Bujnicki JM | title = Coarse-grained modeling of RNA 3D structure | journal = Methods | volume = 103 | pages = 138–56 | date = July 2016 | pmid = 27125734 | doi = 10.1016/j.ymeth.2016.04.026 | doi-access = free }}</ref> proteins<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Kmiecik S, Gront D, Kolinski M, Wieteska L, Dawid AE, Kolinski A | title = Coarse-Grained Protein Models and Their Applications | journal = Chemical Reviews | volume = 116 | issue = 14 | pages = 7898–936 | date = July 2016 | pmid = 27333362 | doi = 10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00163 | doi-access = free }}</ref> as well as biomolecular interactions.<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Wong KC |year=2016 |title=Computational Biology and Bioinformatics: Gene Regulation |publisher=CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group |isbn=978-1-4987-2497-5 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Joyce AP, Zhang C, Bradley P, Havranek JJ | title = Structure-based modeling of protein: DNA specificity | journal = Briefings in Functional Genomics | volume = 14 | issue = 1 | pages = 39–49 | date = January 2015 | pmid = 25414269 | pmc = 4366589 | doi = 10.1093/bfgp/elu044 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | vauthors = Spiga E, Degiacomi MT, Dal Peraro M |date=2014 |chapter=New Strategies for Integrative Dynamic Modeling of Macromolecular Assembly | veditors = Karabencheva-Christova T |title=Biomolecular Modelling and Simulations |series=Advances in Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology |volume=96 |pages=77–111 |publisher=Academic Press |doi=10.1016/bs.apcsb.2014.06.008 |pmid=25443955 |isbn=978-0-12-800013-7 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Ciemny M, Kurcinski M, Kamel K, Kolinski A, Alam N, Schueler-Furman O, Kmiecik S | title = Protein-peptide docking: opportunities and challenges | journal = Drug Discovery Today | volume = 23 | issue = 8 | pages = 1530–1537 | date = August 2018 | pmid = 29733895 | doi = 10.1016/j.drudis.2018.05.006 | doi-access = free }}</ref>