On the General and Logical Theory of Genomic Regulatory Systems
Speaker: Sorin Istrail , Applied Biosystems/Celera
Date: May 5 2004
Time: 11:30AM to 12:00PM
Location: 2-338
Host: P Clote/ BC & B Berger/ MIT- Math & CSAIL
Contact: Kathleen Dickey, 617 253 3037, kvdickey@mit.edu
Relevant URL: http://www-math.mit.edu/compbiosem/
***Special Bionformatics Seminar****
NOTE DAY
Joint work with Eric Davidson (Caltech)
Understanding the functional meaning of the genomic DNA sequence
might well be considered the most important problem in bioscience.
The real frontier in exploration of the functional meaning of
animal genomes lies in acquisition, decoding, and causal analysis
of the control circuitry. The control system wired into the
genomic sequence consists physically of the tens of thousands of
specific DNA target sites for the transcription factors which
biochemically determine the activity of genes. The key is to
understand the logic functions built into the architecture of the
regulatory control system, at two different levels: the level of
the individual gene regulatory module; and the level of the
networks into which these modules and the genes they control are
organized.
Towards the search for general principles, we will present a
mathematical analysis of perturbation experiments data used in
cis-regulatory analysis. As a result we infer a repertoire of 15
functionally irreducible mechanisms that we call "transons;" they
are used as elemental building blocks in the general assembly and
logical programming of the developmental regulatory machinery.
This repertoire allows us to build computationally based models
which capture genetically mandated logic functions that the system
executes, and leads to direct tests of key architectural features
by targeted cis-regulatory analysis. This work extends the
computational model for the endo16 gene of the sea urchin done by
the Davidson Lab.
We will also present a quick overview of the collaborative project
with Eric Davidson aimed at the formation of a "Dream Team"
Consortium. Its focus is on cross-species Comparative Gene
Networks, as well as industrial strength acceleration of the
discovery of the cis-regulatory code. The bottom line is that if
we can grasp the functional meaning of the regulatory apparatus
built into the genomic DNA, we will have found the pathway that
will lead toward acquisition of scientific control over major life
processes.
Refreshments: 11 am in The Applied Mathematics Common Room at MIT's Building 2, Room 349
See other events that are part of Bioinformatics Seminar Series Spring 2004
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