Plant, Animal & Microbe Genomes X Conference

January 12-16, 2002
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA

Session: Plenary Speaker
            

EXPLORING THE NUCLEUS FOR HIGH THROUGHPUT CHARACTERIZATION OF TRANSCRIPTION

¹ University of Arizona, Department of Plant Sciences, 303 Forbes Building, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA

Recent technical innovations have rapidly accelerated our abilities to acquire knowledge concerning the regulation of gene expression. A variety of experimental techniques now exist that permit global analysis of the behavior of all genes contained within specific genomes. A persistent problem remains that of characterizing the different patterns of gene expression that occur within complex interspersions of individual cell types within the tissues and organs of higher eukaryotes.

Focusing on the nucleus, we have been devising strategies to permit the global analysis of cell-specific gene expression within any of the different cell types within complex tissues. Our methods draw on developments in microarray technologies, Fluorescent Protein targeting to the nucleus, and flow cytometry and fluorescence activated sorting. They are general in scope, being applicable to any organism having transcriptionally-active nuclei. Illustrated for higher plants, the methods also reveal novel and unexpected structural and physiological characteristics of nuclei.