A new way of describing time-dependent brain development has been proposed by a group of researchers from the University of California, San Diego and the Institut Pasteur, Paris. They have based their work on the hierarchal tree of coherent-gene-groups (CGGs) and transcription-factors (TFs).
This could result in new drug designs to treat a whole range of mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism-spectrum disorders (ASD).
The researchers found the CGG-TF networks that affect patterns of genes expressed during brain development. In addition, they found that many gene groups were being regulated by “master transcription factors” at the top level of the hierarchy.
They identified the CGGs linked to brain development that can be treated for mental disorders using the university’s San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC). These gene groups are responsible for sending signals at different levels of the hierarchy to other gene groups that are linked to brain development.
According to lead author and research scientist with SDSC, Igor Tsigelny:
“We have proposed a novel, though still hypothetical, strategy of drug design based on this hierarchical network of TFs that could pave the way for a new category of pharmacological agents that could be used to block a pathway at a critical time during brain development as an effective way to treat and even prevent mental disorders such as ASD and schizophrenia. On a broader scale, these findings have the potential to change the paradigm of drug design.”
Analysis using the Gordon and SDSC’s BiologicalNetworks server was carried out on samples from three different parts of the brains of rats.
The researchers were able to find the gene zones that were linked with serious developmental changes and disorders through processing microarray data and self-organizing map clustering.
They analyzed the pathways, the functional and hierarchal networks, and also the stages of brain development of rats and humans as well as looking at gene-TF interactions. Analysis of the hierarchal networks allows for further investigation into directions for drug design.
Gene regulation is becoming a big theme in the medical field. Below are two examples of research which may influence the way some therapies and scientific advancements proceed.
Written by Joseph Nordqvist