( ithin reach of a completed diagram and ...)New study to explore cellular circuitry

Medical Center Tapped for its "Library"

At the outset of the NSF project, researchers know the exact composition of the genes of S. cerevisiae. Gene sequences, however, are just the first step in the wiring of life processes. To complete the diagram, researchers must determine how each gene and their protein products interact with one another.

KGI tapped researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center for the project because they have developed a unique tool for determining protein function. Based on knowledge of all 6,000 genes present in S. cerevisiae, researchers in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics have designed a one-of-a-kind "genomic yeast library" that allows for high-speed, systemic examination of the purpose of each protein in the yeast cell.

Over the last four years, medical center researchers created a library of 6000 clones, or exact copies of the genes of the yeast cell, one clone for each known protein present in the cell. What makes the set of clones useful is that each one manufactures large amounts of a single protein with a "tag" attached. One common application of the library is to separate the tagged proteins from all others in the cell, and then use the collection of tagged proteins to determine which protein is involved in any given biochemical process. Only the tagged protein involved in a given reaction will show up in the results of specially designed tests.

A second potential application of the library relies on its clones' ability to produce large amounts of protein, which can help re-wire cells that have undergone an unhealthy genetic change (mutation) and allow those cells to survive. Learning the identity of the proteins that can re-wire particular mutant cells will also help researchers complete the wiring diagram.

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Source:University of Rochester Medical Center