Binding Assays by the Genome

Abstract

In the cell, proteins bind to DNA elements to regulate such processes as transcription, replication, and chromosome condensation and cohesion. Many recent studies have tried to elucidate the various mechanisms involved in these processes, including specific protein-DNA interactions. For these analyses, researchers have widely used the techniques of chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis and DNA microarrays to examine protein-DNA interactions and gene expression levels, respectively. Ren et al. have now combined these two methods to monitor in vivo protein-DNA interactions across the entire yeast genome. This genome-wide location analysis method was used to characterize two transcriptional activators Gal4 and Ste12. These techniques should allow for a more detailed understanding of global regulatory networks. Ren, B., Robert, F., Wyrick, J.J., Aparicio, O., Jennings, E.G., Simon I., Zeitlinger, J., Schreiber, J., Hannett, N., Kanin, E., Volkert, T.L., Wilson, C.J., Bell, S.P., and Young, R.A. (2000) Genome-wide location and function of DNA binding proteins. Science 290 : 2306-2309. [Abstract] [Full Text]