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A protein interaction map for a better insight in cancer development
February 28, 2005With the completion of the genome sequence of a number of organisms, analysis of the gene products, the proteins, is the on-going challenge.
Researchers from the Institut Curie and from the Paris-based biotechnology company Hybrigenics announced today that they have built a protein-protein interaction map of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. This 'simple' model organism allows them to study a 'reference set' of proteins that includes most of those known to be involved in human cancer. Since proteins function in networks, the systematic identification of the physical interactions that occur between proteins will help understanding their biological function, and improve our capacity to intervene and, ultimately, to discover novel, more specific therapeutic targets.
Their results are published in the March 1st issue of Genome Research.
The completion of the sequencing of the genome from diverse organisms comes with a big surprise: a human being has 'only' 25,000 to 30,000 genes. This is roughly 2 times more than a fly (13,600 genes) and much less than rice (50,000 genes).
Could it be that the complexity of a human being comes from the proteins? The number and biological functions of most of these gene-encoded biomolecules are not yet known. What we do know is that a single gene can contain information to build different 'forms' of a protein. Furthermore, these related proteins can be part of similar or, conversely, different biological pathways and thus can convey very diverse biological functions. Studying the full protein repertoire at the scale of a whole organism is the current challenge of proteomics.
Tell me whom you're interacting with... I shall tell you who you are
The number of interactions between proteins is thought to be huge. Exploration of these complex protein networks requires specific methodologies as well as powerful bioinformatic tools to analyze them.
By putting together their complementary expertise, researchers from the Institut Curie and from Hybrigenics have analyzed protein-protein interactions from the fruit fly. While not exhaustive, this study focuses on a 'reference set' of proteins from this 'simplified' biological model and includes most of the proteins implicated in human cancer developmen(1).
The study has identified over 2,300 protein interactions. The full dataset and the resulting protein interaction map can be visualized and explored using a dedicated software platform, the PIMRider™(2). By assigning specific functions to cancer-related proteins, this protein-protein interaction map constitutes a first step towards the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
Such synergy between public and private research should speed up the valorisation of scientific knowledge and their translation into novel medical applications. This project received in March 2002 a GenHomme network grant of 2.4 millions euros from the Ministe're de l'Industrie. The GenHomme network aims at coordinating the efforts of academic labs and privately owned companies in order to speed up valorisation of human genomics-derived knowledge.
The Hybrigenics-Institut Curie association favours breakthroughs in functional proteomics, an essential step towards a better understanding of important cellular processes.
Institut Curie
Could it be that the complexity of a human being comes from the proteins? The number and biological functions of most of these gene-encoded biomolecules are not yet known. What we do know is that a single gene can contain information to build different 'forms' of a protein. Furthermore, these related proteins can be part of similar or, conversely, different biological pathways and thus can convey very diverse biological functions. Studying the full protein repertoire at the scale of a whole organism is the current challenge of proteomics.
Tell me whom you're interacting with... I shall tell you who you are
The number of interactions between proteins is thought to be huge. Exploration of these complex protein networks requires specific methodologies as well as powerful bioinformatic tools to analyze them.
By putting together their complementary expertise, researchers from the Institut Curie and from Hybrigenics have analyzed protein-protein interactions from the fruit fly. While not exhaustive, this study focuses on a 'reference set' of proteins from this 'simplified' biological model and includes most of the proteins implicated in human cancer developmen(1).
The study has identified over 2,300 protein interactions. The full dataset and the resulting protein interaction map can be visualized and explored using a dedicated software platform, the PIMRider™(2). By assigning specific functions to cancer-related proteins, this protein-protein interaction map constitutes a first step towards the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
Such synergy between public and private research should speed up the valorisation of scientific knowledge and their translation into novel medical applications. This project received in March 2002 a GenHomme network grant of 2.4 millions euros from the Ministe're de l'Industrie. The GenHomme network aims at coordinating the efforts of academic labs and privately owned companies in order to speed up valorisation of human genomics-derived knowledge.
The Hybrigenics-Institut Curie association favours breakthroughs in functional proteomics, an essential step towards a better understanding of important cellular processes.
Institut Curie
Genome Current Events and Genome News RSSTime of day matters to thirsty trees, U of T researcher discovers
The time of day matters to forest trees dealing with drought, according to a new paper produced by a research team led by Professor Malcolm Campbell, University of Toronto Scarborough's vice-principal for research and colleagues in the department of cell and systems biology at the St. George campus.
Genetic analysis helps dissect molecular basis of cardiovascular disease
Using highly precise measurements of plasma lipoprotein concentrations determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), researchers led by Daniel Chasman at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, the Framingham Heart Study in Framingham, and the PROCARDIS consortium in Stockholm, Sweden and Oxford, England performed genetic association analysis across the whole genome among 17,296 women of European ancestry from the Women's Genome Health Study.
Gene mismatch influences success of bone marrow transplants
A commonly inherited gene deletion can increase the likelihood of immune complications following bone marrow transplantation, an international team of researchers reports in the November 22 advance online issue of Nature Genetics.
Scientists at UA, collaborating institutions decode maize genome
Scientists from the University of Arizona led by Arizona Genomics Institute director Rod A. Wing and from collaborating institutions have deciphered the complete genetic code of the maize plant for the first time.
Ancestry attracts, but love is blind
People preferentially marry those with similar ancestry, but their decisions are not necessarily based on hair, eye or skin colour.
WPI Researchers Take Aim at Hard-to-Treat Fungal Infections
A team of researchers at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Gateway Park has developed a new model system to study fungal infections.
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.
Causative gene of a rare disorder discovered by sequencing only protein-coding regions of genome
For the first time, scientists have successfully used a method called exome sequencing to quickly discover a previously unknown gene responsible for a mendelian disorder.
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.
Maize cell wall genes identified, giving boost to biofuel research
Purdue University scientists have helped identify and group the genes thought to be responsible for cell wall development in maize, an effort that expands their ability to discover ways to produce the biomass best suited for biofuels production.
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