TIGEM - Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine - San Raffaele Biomedical Science Park - Via Olgettina, 58 - 20132 Milano, Italy
Cross-species comparison is an effective tool used to identify genes and study their function in both normal and pathological conditions. We recently applied the power of Drosophila genetics to the vast resource of human cDNAs represented in the EST database (dbEST) to identify novel human genes of high biological interest (1). Sixty-six human cDNAs showing significant homology to Drosophila mutant genes were identified by screening dbEST with keywords using the "text string" option, and their map position was determined using both fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and radiation hybrid mapping. An on-line hypertext table, allowing retrieval of information on these cDNA clones (called DRES clones), as well as Drosophila phenotypes, sequence comparisons, and mapping data, is available from Internet at the WWW address http://www.tigem.it/LOCAL/drosophila/dros.html .
We present here the DRES db, a tool for the systematic identification of human cDNAs homologous to Drosophila genes through an automated database searching procedure; the corresponding search results are made available to researchers through a user-friendly interface such as the World Wide Web. Dynamic links are established to local and remote sequence databases; also available through the same interface are tools which permit immediate DNA database searching with retrieved EST sequences and automated periodic database searches.
The DRES db will offer the researcher the possibility of querying sequence databases with keywords related to Drosophila genetics and immediately retrieving possible human homolog expressed sequences. The same computational strategy can be easily applied to sequences of other model organisms that are well-represented in the databases, such as C.elegans. Comparisons between these genes and their putative partners in Drosophila may provide important insights into their function in mammals. In particular, human ESTs similar to Drosophila mutant genes represent a subset of sequences that could provide us with insights into what the phenotypic consequences of the gene dysfunction might be. Furthermore, mapping and characterization of these genes will yield candidate genes for human genetic diseases.
(1) S.Banfi, G.Borsani, E.Rossi, L.Bernard, A.Guffanti, F.Rubboli, A.Marchitiello, S.Giglio, E.Coluccia, M.Zollo, O.Zuffardi & A.Ballabio: Identification and mapping of human cDNAs homologous to Drosophila mutant genes through EST database searching. Nature Genetics, Vol. 13, p 167-174, 1996.