Editing Functional genomics (section)

==Definition and goals ==

In order to understand functional genomics it is important to first define function. In their paper<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Graur D, Zheng Y, Price N, Azevedo RB, Zufall RA, Elhaik E | title = On the immortality of television sets: "function" in the human genome according to the evolution-free gospel of ENCODE | journal = Genome Biology and Evolution | volume = 5 | issue = 3 | pages = 578–90 | date = 20 February 2013 | pmid = 23431001 | doi = 10.1093/gbe/evt028 | pmc=3622293}}</ref> Graur et al. define function in two possible ways. These are "selected effect" and "causal role". The "selected effect" function refers to the function for which a trait (DNA, RNA, protein etc.) is selected for. The "causal role" function refers to the function that a trait is sufficient and necessary for. Functional genomics usually tests the "causal role" definition of function.

The goal of functional genomics is to understand the function of genes or proteins, eventually all components of a genome. The term functional genomics is often used to refer to the many technical approaches to study an organism's genes and proteins, including the "biochemical, cellular, and/or physiological properties of each and every gene product"<ref name="Gibson and Muse">{{cite book |vauthors=Gibson G, Muse SV |title=A primer of genome science |edition=3rd |publisher=Sinauer Associates |location=Sunderland, MA}}</ref> while some authors include the study of nongenic elements in their definition.<ref name="Pevsner">{{cite book | vauthors = Pevsner J |year=2009 |title=Bioinformatics and functional genomics | url = https://archive.org/details/bioinformaticsfu00pevs_0 | url-access = registration |edition=2nd |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |location=Hoboken, NJ|isbn=9780470085851 }}</ref> Functional genomics may also include studies of natural genetic variation over time (such as an organism's development) or space (such as its body regions), as well as functional disruptions such as mutations.

The promise of functional genomics is to generate and synthesize genomic and proteomic knowledge into an understanding of the dynamic properties of an organism. This could potentially provide a more complete picture of how the genome specifies function compared to studies of single genes. Integration of functional genomics data is often a part of [[systems biology]] approaches.