Open AccessA Bright IDEA
Author(s) -
Jackson Christopher,
Gresham David
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
molecular systems biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 8.523
H-Index - 148
ISSN - 1744-4292
DOI - 10.15252/msb.20209502
Subject(s) - biology , computational biology , gene , systems biology , gene regulatory network , regulation of gene expression , transcription factor , messenger rna , genetics , gene expression
Transcription factors ( TF s) control the rate of mRNA production. Technological advances have made the task of measuring mRNA levels for all genes straightforward, but identifying causal relationships between TF s and their target genes remains an unsolved problem in biology. In their recent study, McIsaac and colleagues (Hackett et al , 2020) apply a method for inducing the overexpression of a TF and studying the dynamics with which all transcripts respond. Using time series analysis, they are able to resolve direct effects of TF s from secondary effects. This new experimental and analytical approach provides an efficient means of defining gene regulatory relationships for all TF s.