What is difference between Exon and Exome ?

• Exon:

  • An exon is a single protein-coding segment within a gene.

  • It's a specific portion of DNA that carries the instructions for a particular part of a protein.

• Exome:

  • The exome is the collective term for all the exons within the entire human genome.

  • It represents a small fraction (approximately 1-2%) of the total genome but contains the majority of the protein-coding information.

Analogy:

Imagine a book.

• Exons: Each chapter within that book would be analogous to an exon.

• Exome: The entire collection of chapters from all the books in a library would be analogous to the exome.

In essence, exons are individual protein-coding segments within a single gene, while the exome encompasses all the protein-coding regions across the entire human genome.