Bart Deplancke: "Deciphering the Drosophila regulatory code"

Bart Deplancke
Laboratory of Systems Biology and Genetics, EPFL Lausanne

Deciphering the Drosophila regulatory code

Differential gene expression is central to most fundamental biological processes, but little is still known about the composition and dynamic properties of the corresponding gene regulatory networks that control the expression of these genes. The core members of these regulatory networks are transcription factors (TFs) which function by integrating extra- and intracellular cues through protein-protein or protein-ligand interactions and translating these cues into gene expression output by binding to gene regulatory elements. Here, we will present our latest efforts, using the fruitfly as model organism, to develop and integrate novel resources and both experimental and computational tools to generate gene-centered regulatory network models. Specifically, we aim to identify all regulatory elements underlying a biological process of interest and elucidate how they contribute to gene regulation by mapping their respective target genes and characterizing the TF-DNA interactions they are involved in. Our first results have already revealed central gene regulatory principles which may be relevant in other organisms including humans.