title: What does our genome encode?
abstract: In its first production phase, The ENCODE Project Consortium (ENCODE) has generated thousands of genome-scale data sets, resulting in a genomic "parts list" that encompasses transcripts, sites of transcription factor binding, and other functional features that now number in the millions of distinct elements. These data are reshaping many long-held beliefs concerning the information content of the human and other complex genomes, including the very definition of the gene. Here I discuss and place in context many of the leading findings of ENCODE, as well as trends that are shaping the generation and interpretation of ENCODE data. Finally, I consider prospects for the future, including maximizing the accuracy, completeness, and utility of ENCODE data for the community.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Genome Sciences and Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA. jstam@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Stamatoyannopoulos
mesh_terms: D015894:Genome, Human; D023281:Genomics; D016045:Human Genome Project; D006801:Humans