An integrated approach for the systematic identification and characterization of heart-enriched genes with unknown functions.
BACKGROUND
High throughput techniques have generated a huge set of biological data, which are deposited in various databases. Efficient exploitation of these databases is often hampered by a lack of appropriate tools, which allow easy and reliable identification of genes that miss functional characterization but are correlated with specific biological conditions (e.g. organotypic expression).


RESULTS
We have developed a simple algorithm (DGSA = Database-dependent Gene Selection and Analysis) to identify genes with unknown functions involved in organ development concentrating on the heart. Using our approach, we identified a large number of yet uncharacterized genes, which are expressed during heart development. An initial functional characterization of genes by loss-of-function analysis employing morpholino injections into zebrafish embryos disclosed severe developmental defects indicating a decisive function of selected genes for developmental processes.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that DGSA is a versatile tool for database mining allowing efficient selection of uncharacterized genes for functional analysis.
Uchida
Shizuka
S
Max-Planck-Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Parkstrasse 1, Bad Nauheim, Germany. Shizuka.Uchida@mpi-bn.mpg.de
Schneider
André
A
Wiesnet
Marion
M
Jungblut
Benno
B
Zarjitskaya
Polina
P
Jenniches
Katharina
K
Kreymborg
Karsten Grosse
KG
Seeger
Werner
W
Braun
Thomas
T
D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D019295:Computational Biology; D003628:Database Management Systems; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051379:Mice; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics