Over 12.5 million averaged mRNA expression measurements for about 23,000
human genes available with open access at new TranscriptoNET website
VANCOUVER, Aug. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - Kinexus Bioinformatics Corporation, a
world-leader in molecular intelligence research, announced the launch
of its TranscriptoNET KnowledgeBase (http://207.150.202.175) for the study of human gene expression in over 300 types of human
tissues and organs as well as over 300 human cancer cell lines. This
open-access resource for the biomedical research community features
comprehensive information on the mRNA expression levels for almost
~23,000 human genes. The original data was retrieved from the National
Center for Biotechnology Information Gene Expression Omnibus (NCBI
GEO), which serves as a repository of experimental gene microarray
results submitted by researchers from around the world. Kinexus and its
academic collaborators normalized the data from over 900 different
studies with more than 6000 biological specimens to permit
investigations of gene expression and potential interactions that can
only be undertaken with such a large dataset of over 125 million
separate gene expression measurements. This normalization process was
based on the identification of 60 genes that were commonly and highly
expressed in all of the biological samples.
When genes are activated by transcription factors, they are transcribed
into intermediate messenger-RNA (mRNA) copies. These mRNAs are
subsequently translated with the aid of protein synthesis machinery in
ribosomes to make the unique proteins encoded by these genes.
Measurement of mRNA levels for specific genes reveals whether the
proteins specified by these genes are actively produced in the diverse
cell types found in the human body. The differential expression of
genes determines the structures and biochemical activities in cells
that account for their special physiological functions.
TranscriptoNET is a powerful tool for discovery of genes that are
uniquely or commonly expressed throughout the human body, and can be
used to uncover possible functional interactions amongst the 23,000
proteins encoded by the human genome based on their co-expression
patterns. In the selection of human specimens for inclusion in
TranscriptoNET, special emphasis was placed on human tumours and cancer
cell lines to identify the differential regulation of genes in cancer.
TranscriptoNET can be used to uncover new potential oncogenes and
tumour suppressor genes that may encode cancer protein biomarkers and
drug targets.
"While all human cells carry the same genes, the production of proteins
from these genes is markedly different and dynamically changing in the
various cell types found in the tissues and organs of the body"
commented Dr. Steven Pelech, President and Chief Scientific Officer of
Kinexus and a professor in the Department of Medicine at the University
of British Columbia. "While gene microarray data has been available for
nearly a decade from the NCBI GEO database, TranscriptoNET now enables
researchers to compare the results from thousands of human specimens
directly with each other and conduct meta-analyses."
TranscriptoNET complements three other open-access websites developed by
Kinexus, including the PhosphoNET KnowledgeBase (www.phosphonet.ca), which tracks over 650,000 known and putative regulatory
phosphorylation sites in human proteins; and the KiNET-Antibody
Microarray (http://207.150.202.174) and KiNET-Immunoblotting (www.kinet.ca) DataBases, which together, provide the world's largest repository of
semi-quantitative proteomics data with antibody probes. The KiNET
Databases feature the results from other 10,000 proteomics analyses
that Kinexus has performed for over 1350 academic and industrial
laboratories over the last 12 years. The application of this
information positions Kinexus and its clients for improved disease
diagnosis and personalized drug therapies to improve human health.
SOURCE Kinexus Bioinformatics Corporation