An analysis of expression patterns of genes encoding proteins with catalytic activities.
BACKGROUND
In situ hybridization (ISH) is a powerful method for visualizing gene expression patterns at the organismal level with cellular resolution. When automated, it is capable of determining the expression of a large number of genes.


RESULTS
The expression patterns of 662 genes that encode enzymes were determined by ISH in the mid-gestation mouse embryo, a stage that models the complexity of the adult organism. Forty-five percent of transcripts encoding metabolic enzymes (n = 297) showed a regional expression pattern. A similar percentage was found for the 190 kinases that were also analyzed. Many mRNAs encoding glycolytic and TCA cycle enzymes exhibited a characteristic expression pattern. The annotated expression patterns were deposited on the Genepaint database and are retrievable by user-defined queries including gene name and sites of expression.


CONCLUSIONS
The 662 expression patterns discussed here comprised gene products with activities associated with catalysis. Preliminary analysis of these data revealed that a significant number of genes encoding housekeeping functions such as biosynthesis and catabolism were expressed regionally, so they could be used as tissue-specific gene markers. We found no difference in tissue specificity between mRNAs encoding housekeeping functions and those encoding components of signal transduction pathways, as exemplified by the kinases.
Cankaya
Murat
M
Genes and Behavior Department, Max Planck Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Goettingen, Germany. mcankay@gwdg.de <mcankay@gwdg.de>
Hernandez
Ana Martinez
AM
Ciftci
Mehmet
M
Beydemir
Sukru
S
Ozdemir
Hasan
H
Budak
Harun
H
Gulcin
Ilhami
I
Comakli
Veysel
V
Emircupani
Tufan
T
Ekinci
Deniz
D
Kuzu
Muslum
M
Jiang
Qiuhong
Q
Eichele
Gregor
G
Kufrevioglu
Omer Irfan
OI
D000818:Animals; D002384:Catalysis; D002952:Citric Acid Cycle; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006019:Glycolysis; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051379:Mice; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D011506:Proteins