From transcriptome analysis to immunogenomics: current status and future direction

In 1994, we pioneered a complementary DNA (cDNA) sequencing project that aimed to predict the primary structures of unknown human proteins. Although our cDNA project was focused on the sequencing of large cDNAs, the following cDNA sequencing projects conducted by other groups have more extensively characterized mammalian transcriptome. In parallel, many groups have made a tremendous amount of effort to develop various resources for functional human genomics. In this context, to demonstrate the power of functional genomic approaches in practice, we have applied them for a comprehensive understanding of the immune system, which we term 'immunogenomics'. This mini-review first describes the historical background of our cDNA project and then provides perspectives on the present and future of immunogenomics based on our experiences.