Inbred mouse strains have been shown to vary considerably in neurobehavioral testing. In the September 26 Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Sandberg et al. describe the first use of DNA microarrays to determine the genetics events that might explain these phenotypic differences (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2000, 97:11038-11043). They compared two common inbred mouse strains (C57BL/6 and 129SvEv) by examining the expression profiles of over 10,000 genes in six different brain regions. Th

Going from gene sequence to protein function presents a great challenge to genome biology. In the September 15 EMBO Reports, Simpson et al. suggest that the systematic identification of subcellular localization can significantly enhance our ability to assign functions to unknown ORFs (EMBO Reports 2000, 1:287-292). Simpson et al. outline a strategy for such an approach. They adapted the Gateway cloning system to allow rapid, directional cloning of ORFs by recombination, and generate amino- and c

Comparative genomics is emerging as a powerful approach for assessing the similarities and differences between species. In the September Genome Research Band et al. compare cows and humans to generate mapping information about the bovine genome (Genome Res 2000, 10:1359-1368). The authors combined parallel radiation hybrid (RH) mapping analysis with express sequence tag (EST) sequence information and a bioinformatic methodology called COMPASS (comparative mapping by annotation and sequence simil

Many sequences found within mammalian introns closely resemble the specific 5' and 3' splice site consensus signals that regulate exon splicing. It is unclear how the real splice sites are selected from these frequent pseudosites. In the September Molecular and Cellular Biology, Fairbrother and Chasin identified intronic splicing silencers using a genetic screen (Mol Cell Biol 2000, 20:6816-6825). They selected human genomic sequences that could disrupt splicing when inserted into the central ex

Combinations of SNPs within the beta2-adrenergic receptor gene affect the response to asthma drugs.

Studies on rats show that vaccination with naked DNA can provide protective immunity from experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Comprehensive proteome analysis offers a powerful tool to move beyond the genome. In a study published online ahead of print in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Gerner et al. (J. Biol. Chem., published online 7 September 2000) describe the use of high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis to investigate changes to 1000 protein spots following Fas-induced apoptosis in Jurkat T-lymphocyte cells. Gerner et al. used a range of techniques including metabolic radiolabelling, subc

Point mutations in the transcription factor NFAT define sets of cytokine genes whose regulation is dependent on or independent of cooperation between NFAT and Fos/Jun

Identification of genes that are regulated by the transcription factor HNF1alpha may explain its involvement in MODY3 diabetes.