SAGE Genie: A suite with panoramic view of gene expression

摘要

If the achievement of complete sequencing of the one-dimensional genetic codes of the human genome can be compared with man landing on the moon, the interpretation of genomic instruction in a four-dimensional biological context, such as during development and diseases, will prove to be a much more challenging and daunting task than that of getting man back from the moon to the earth. One of the greatest mysteries of life has been how a fertilized egg, which contains all of the genetic information that defines a living organism, can give rise to so many different tissues, which organize into different organs, as it divides and differentiates. It is clear that to unravel life's mysteries, we will have to rely, at least in large part, on tools that can allow us to determine when and where a gene is to be turned on or off in a cell as it divides, differentiates, and ages. Obviously, such tools are also important for the detection of when and where a seemingly precise interpretation of genomic instruction goes awry, which underlies many disease states such as cancer.