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The use of gene function to identify the rate-limiting steps controlling cell fate

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Abstract

The size and complexity of the genomes of mammals in general, and humans in particular, is such that it will take many years to utilise this information to produce a genuine understanding of the control of cell behaviour. Since there are tens of thousands of genes to consider, the task of identifying those which play the most significant roles, biologically and medically, is both crucial and very demanding. Here we emphasise the importance of functional approaches to answering this question, i.e. the application of techniques which use the function of the gene itself in identifying the critical rate-limiting steps in biological processes. In this review, we use the functional analysis of one of the most important of these processes, the control of survival and apoptosis, to illustrate the power of a number of functional genomic strategies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Keele, ST5 5BG, UK

    Gwyn T. Williams

  2. Department of Molecular Medicine, Rayne Institute, King’s Denmark Hill Campus, GKT School of Medicine, 123 Coldharbour Lane, London, SE5 9NU, UK

    Farzin Farzaneh

Authors
  1. Gwyn T. Williams
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  2. Farzin Farzaneh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gwyn T. Williams.

Additional information

This work was presented at the first Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Summer School, 8–13 September 2003, Ionian Village, Bartholomeio, Peloponnese, Greece.

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Williams, G.T., Farzaneh, F. The use of gene function to identify the rate-limiting steps controlling cell fate. Cancer Immunol Immunother 53, 160–165 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-003-0476-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-003-0476-6

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