Free shopping in a virtual bazaar of gene regulation dataOctober 04, 2007An international team has opened a virtual bazaar, called PAZAR, which allows biologists to share information about gene regulation through individually managed 'boutiques' (data collections). According to research published in the online open access journal, Genome Biology, customers can access data without any charge from any boutique or extract information from the 'superstores' that aggregate data of similar types. In deciphering the human genome sequence, researchers hope to understand the when and where of gene expression because this could speed development of novel cancer therapies or stem cell treatments for degenerative disease, and explain complex diseases such as diabetes. Much of the information gathered in costly studies of gene regulation is poorly accessible if available at all. Individual research teams often generate databases or post files on the internet, but these data are fragmented and can be lost over time. The research team, led by Wyeth Wasserman at the University of British Columbia and Child & Family Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues from Bulgaria, Canada, France, and the USA, describe a novel approach to managing this information by bringing it together for the first time using PAZAR. PAZAR is, explain the researchers, "an open-access and open-source database of transcription factor and regulatory sequence annotation". As such, it fulfils a longstanding need for a large data collection of regulatory sequences unrestricted by commercial concerns. Its novel shopping-mall-like structure (pazar is Bulgarian for shopping mall) will allow researchers to share data collections and computational predictions in an organized and accessible manner. In order to demonstrate the advantages and features of PAZAR and its depth of annotation, the researchers used the Pleiades Promoter Project collection of brain-linked regulatory sequences as a show case. They have been working internationally with boutique operators and are currently expanding the data represented, and improving the curation tools. By bringing small data collections together Wasserman and colleagues are aiming to bring the data to international scientific customers and are encouraging other researchers to open new boutiques in this genomic mall. BioMed Central |
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| Related Gene Regulation Current Events and Gene Regulation News Articles Technique finds gene regulatory sites without knowledge of regulators A new statistical technique developed by researchers at the University of Illinois allows scientists to scan a genome for specific gene-regulatory regions without requiring prior knowledge of the relevant transcription factors. New research into the mechanisms of gene regulation A team led by Penn State's Ross Hardison, T. Ming Chu Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has taken a large step toward unraveling how regulatory proteins control the production of gene products during development and growth. Researchers 'notch' a victory toward new kind of cancer drug Scientists have devised an innovative way to disarm a key protein considered to be "undruggable," meaning that all previous efforts to develop a drug against it have failed. How RNA polymerase II gets the go-ahead for gene transcription All cells perform certain basic functions. Each must selectively transcribe parts of the DNA that makes up its genome into RNAs that specify the structure of proteins. Launch of the first standard graphical notation for biology Researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and their colleagues in 30 labs worldwide have released a new set of standards for graphically representing biological information - the biology equivalent of the circuit diagram in electronics. Caltech scientists help launch the first standard graphical notation for biology Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and their colleagues in 30 laboratories worldwide have released a new set of standards for graphically representing biological information-the biology equivalent of the circuit diagram in electronics. Scientists find universal rules for food-web stability The findings, published in this week's issue of Science, conclude that food-web stability is enhanced when many diverse predator-prey links connect high and intermediate trophic levels. Algebra adds value to mathematical biology education As mathematics continues to become an increasingly important component in undergraduate biology programs, a more comprehensive understanding of the use of algebraic models is needed by the next generation of biologists to facilitate new advances in the life sciences, according to researchers at Sweet Briar College and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech. Cancer's distinctive pattern of gene expression could aid early screening and prevention Distinctive patterns of genes turned off - or left on - in healthy versus cancerous cells could enable early screening for many common cancers and maybe help avoid them, Medical College of Georgia scientists say. Small molecules mimic natural gene regulators In the quest for new approaches to treating and preventing disease, one appealing route involves turning genes on or off at will, directly intervening in ailments such as cancer and diabetes, which result when genes fail to turn on and off as they should. More Gene Regulation Current Events and Gene Regulation News Articles |
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