Unit of Cellular Signaling, Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences and The Fritz Haber Research Center for Molecular Dynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Mar 20;109(12):4702-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1200790109. Epub 2012 Mar 5.
Computers are organized into hardware and software. Using a theoretical approach to identify patterns in gene expression in a variety of species, organs, and cell types, we found that biological systems similarly are comprised of a relatively unchanging hardware-like gene pattern. Orthogonal patterns of software-like transcripts vary greatly, even among tumors of the same type from different individuals. Two distinguishable classes could be identified within the hardware-like component: those transcripts that are highly expressed and stable and an adaptable subset with lower expression that respond to external stimuli. Importantly, we demonstrate that this structure is conserved across organisms. Deletions of transcripts from the highly stable core are predicted to result in cell mortality. The approach provides a conceptual thermodynamic-like framework for the analysis of gene-expression levels and networks and their variations in diseased cells.
计算机分为硬件和软件。我们采用理论方法来识别不同物种、器官和细胞类型中基因表达的模式，结果发现生物系统同样由相对不变的硬件样基因模式组成。类似软件的转录本的正交模式差异很大，即使是来自不同个体的同一类型的肿瘤也是如此。在硬件样成分中可以识别出两个可区分的类别：高度表达和稳定的转录本，以及表达较低但对外界刺激有反应的适应性亚组。重要的是，我们证明这种结构在生物体中是保守的。高度稳定核心的转录本缺失预计会导致细胞死亡。该方法为分析疾病细胞中基因表达水平和网络及其变化提供了一个类似热力学的概念框架。
