title: Whole-genome prediction of cis-regulatory modules and target genes yields insight into gene regulatory networks underlying sensory differentiation.
abstract: Perhaps the most fundamental aspect of development is the acquisition by a cell of a terminal and stable fate because it marks the usually irreversible commitment to a specific morphology and function. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that control this process has profound implications for stem cell biology and cancer research. Because cell fate commitment is regulated by transcription factors acting as master switches, a mechanistic understanding of the process requires revealing the gene regulatory networks downstream of these factors. We discuss the biological functions of the proneural targetome in the light of signaling pathways, and the recent progress on computational target gene predictions using cisTargetX.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Computational Biology, KU Leuven School of Medicine, Leuven, Belgium. stein.aerts@med.kuleuven.be
authors.forename: Stein
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aerts
authors.forename: Bassem
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hassan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004330:Drosophila / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D049750:Genome, Insect; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D056510:Position-Specific Scoring Matrices; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000166:cytology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C413162:sens protein, Drosophila