Welcome! In Toto Genomic Analysis of Vertebrate Development
This Center of Excellence in Genomic Science (CEGS) assembles a multidisciplinary group of Caltech investigators, Sean Megason, Niles Pierce, Scott Fraser and Marianne Bronner-Fraser, to develop innovative technologies with the goal of imaging and mutating every developmentally important vertebrate gene. Novel "in toto imaging" tools will make it possible to analyze gene expression and function in developing vertebrate embryos in time and space, digitizing in vivo data in a systematic, high-throughput, and quantitative fashion.
Key technologies will be developed and tested in the zebrafish embryo due to its transparency and the ability to obtain rapid feedback. To monitor alterations in gene expression in normal and mutant embryos, we will develop new techniques for in situ hybridization that permit simultaneous analysis of multiple marker genes in a sensitive and potentially quantitative manner. Our goal is to combine real-time analysis of gene expression on a genome-wide scale coupled with the ability to mutate genes of interest and examine global alterations in gene expression as a result of gene loss. The vast amount of quantitative, in vivo data obtained through this program will serve as the basis for creating a "digital fish" that models the molecular orchestra that transforms an egg into an embryo.
Caltech
News Release, September 13, 2006 |
