Chemical genomics for studying parasite gene function and interaction

With the development of new technologies in genome sequencing, gene expression profiling, genotyping, and high-throughput screening of chemical compound libraries, small molecules are playing increasingly important roles in studying gene expression regulation, gene-gene interaction, and gene function. Here we briefly review and discuss some recent advancements in drug target identification and phenotype characterization using combinations of high-throughput screening of small-molecule libraries and various genome-wide methods such as whole-genome sequencing, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and genome-wide expression analysis. These approaches can be used to search for new drugs against parasite infections, to identify drug targets or drug resistance genes, and to infer gene function.