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In silico cloning of novel endothelial-specific genes.
1Molecular Angiogenesis Laboratory, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK.
Genome Research
|November 15, 2000
Summary
Researchers identified novel endothelial-specific genes using a new database screening method. This approach combines gene index screening with expression analysis to find potential pharmaceutical targets for endothelial cell biology.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- The endothelium is crucial in physiological and pathological processes.
- Endothelial cells are highly transcriptionally active.
- Understanding endothelial cell biology can reveal pharmaceutical targets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel database screening approach for identifying endothelial-specific genes.
- To advance the understanding of endothelial cell biology.
- To identify potential pharmaceutical targets within endothelial cells.
Main Methods:
- Screening the UniGene gene index against endothelial and non-endothelial expressed sequence tags (ESTs) using BLAST.
- Selecting UniGene clusters with endothelial matches and no non-endothelial matches.
- Combining UniGene/EST screening with serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) library subtraction and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for verification.
Main Results:
- Four novel genes were identified: endothelial cell-specific molecules (ECSM) 1-3 and magic roundabout.
- ECSM genes are specific to endothelial cells.
- Magic roundabout is similar to the axon guidance protein roundabout.
Conclusions:
- A powerful novel approach for comparative gene expression analysis was developed.
- The method combines datamining strategies with experimental verification.
- This approach facilitates the discovery of novel endothelial-specific genes for further research and therapeutic development.