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Biological processes are controlled by highly complex networks of regulatory genes.
In particular, changes in gene expression are influenced by the action of transcription factors (trans-elements) acting in a combinatorial way on binding sites in promoters (cis-elements).
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Methods are already available to analyse global changes in gene expression.
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These methods identify sets of genes that are induced or repressed at different developmental stages, under different growth conditions or in response to pathogen attack.
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This information will be of most benefit when combined with the ability to relate expression data to genome sequence data and hence identify subsets of genes which share common regulatory elements in their promoters, thus forming individual branches in the hierarchy of the regulatory network.
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Indeed, regulatory networks are so complex that only by the use of bioinformatics we will be able to build models to describe them.
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In order to develop computer programmes capable of defining gene networks we need to generate global gene expression data
under highly defined and overlapping conditions of complexity to ensure that the programmes can be designed and tested at different levels of resolution.
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Therefore the Consortium has three inter-related and complementary objectives:
- Objective 1:
Training of young scientists in the methods and implementation of post-genomic research.
- Objective 2:
Development of bioinformatics tools to analyse microarray data and integrate genome data with global analysis of gene expression.
- Objective 3:
Elucidation of regulatory gene networks controlling flowering
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