Alternative splicing promises to help resolve the question of how 25,000 genes could possibly be enough to encode instructions for a huge range of specialized human cells from osteoplast to neuron. Robert Darnell and colleagues at The Rockefeller University, New York, combined microarray analysis with sophisticated bioinformatics tools to identify, test, and validate 49 targets of the neuronal splicing factor, Nova, revealing that many of these proteins function in the synapse. 1 Annette Dolphin, professor of pharmacology, University College London, calls the techniques employed by Darnell's team "absolutely amazing."
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