From worm to human: bioinformatics approaches to identify FOXO target genes

Longevity regulatory genes include the Forkhead transcription factor FOXO, in addition to NAD-dependent histone deacetylase silent information regulator 2 (Sir2). The FOXO/DAF-16 family of transcription factors constitute an evolutionarily conserved subgroup within a larger family known as winged helix or Forkhead transcriptional regulators. Here we demonstrate how to identify FOXO target genes and their potential cis-regulatory binding sites in the promoters via bioinformatics approaches. These results provide new testable hypotheses for further experimental verifications.