研究人員在日前在線出版的《自然—方法學(xué)》（Nature Methods）期刊上報(bào)告,，他們?cè)O(shè)計(jì)了一套系統(tǒng)，可以自動(dòng)生成,，從而能監(jiān)督像秀麗隱桿線蟲(簡稱線蟲)胚胎發(fā)育過程中的基因表達(dá),。
發(fā)育生物學(xué)的主要目標(biāo)是了解單個(gè)受精卵分裂成多個(gè)細(xì)胞的發(fā)育過程。這將有助于鑒別細(xì)胞發(fā)育階段所表達(dá)的每個(gè)基因,。線蟲是一種理想的發(fā)育生物學(xué)研究模式動(dòng)物,，因?yàn)樗韧该饔趾唵危宜陌l(fā)育過程已經(jīng)被定義,。
Waterston和同事用一種自動(dòng)成像方法來監(jiān)測四種有熒光指標(biāo)的基因的表達(dá)時(shí)間和表達(dá)水平,，每種基因都負(fù)責(zé)編碼線蟲胚胎中一種重要的轉(zhuǎn)錄因子。他們精確鑒別出350多個(gè)細(xì)胞發(fā)育過程中的相關(guān)基因表達(dá),，基本上涵蓋了胚胎的整個(gè)細(xì)胞分裂過程,。
新方法為系統(tǒng)分析更多基因的受體奠定了基礎(chǔ)，它將有助于揭示細(xì)胞分裂每個(gè)過程中的基因表達(dá),。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Nature Methods,，5, 703 - 709，John Isaac Murray,，Robert H Waterston
Automated analysis of embryonic gene expression with cellular resolution in C. elegans
John Isaac Murray1, 3, Zhirong Bao1, 2, 3, Thomas J Boyle1, Max E Boeck1, Barbara L Mericle1, Thomas J Nicholas1, Zhongying Zhao1, Matthew J Sandel1 & Robert H Waterston1
1 Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, 1705 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.
2 Present address: Developmental Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, 1275 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA.
3 These authors contributed equally to this work.
We describe a system that permits the automated analysis of reporter gene expression in Caenorhabditis elegans with cellular resolution continuously during embryogenesis. We demonstrate its utility by defining the expression patterns of reporters for several embryonically expressed transcription factors. The invariant cell lineage permits the automated alignment of multiple expression profiles, allowing direct comparison of the expression of different genes' reporters. We also used this system to monitor perturbations to normal development involving changes both in cell-division timing and in cell fate. Systematic application of this system could reveal the gene activity of each cell throughout development.
