We are entering a new age in molecular genetics in which we can use gene expression sequence data from DNA microarray experiments to dissect cell, developmental and disease pathways more completely and more sensitively than ever before. We are currently using DNA microarrays that contain every gene in the C. elegans genome (~19,000 genes). We have used the DNA microarrays in over 500 hybridizations in about 50 diverse experiments involving collaborations with 27 different laboratories. For example, we have found 1416 genes enriched in the germ line, 1148 sex-regulated genes, 166 Ras-regulated genes and 316 genes that change during the normal course of aging. The data from each of the individual experiments have been combined into a gene expression database, containing data on how the expression of each gene is correlated to each other gene in hundreds of different microarray hybridizations. We are viewing the gene expression data in three-dimensions using VxInsight, and have found many groups of genes that have similar expression patterns across all experiments. Our goal is to use the gene expression database to annotate the function of a large fraction of the genome.
Copyright. All Rights Reserved.