Learning Bioinformatics in Cannabis

As with the importance of understanding other organisms genomes , Cannabis is subject to genetic mutations that can be beneficial, neutral, or harmful. These mutations can then be identified in seedlings through molecular biology techniques. This is the beginning on Marker-Assisted Breeding, which allows for efficient breeding since selection for traits can be done within days of sprouting the seed. Bioinformatics is essential to the future development of this technology since the genome must be established for effective Marker-Assisted Breeding systems. 

       Every living organism contains a genetic code called  DNA , which is a sequence of A's, T's, C's, and G's in a specific sequence to encode for proteins through biological processes. Mutations in these protein coding regions of DNA cause medical conditions and abnormal appearances of various organisms. Knowing the sequence of this code will allow scientist to create treatments for conditions and be able to select for traits in breeding projects by amplifying genes with PCR. With the current technology used to determine the sequence, only small fragments can be determined and need to assembled using bioinformatics tools .