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This Review sets out the emerging potential of next-generation sequencing in the context of clinical microbiology. Using bacterial genome sequencing as an example, the authors discuss the options and challenges for species identification, testing for virulence and drug resistance and monitoring outbreaks.
How do transcription factors lead to defined developmental programs? The ways in which transcription factors act at enhancer elements and how enhancer activity is established during development are discussed in this Review, which brings together genetic and genomic evidence.
Seasonal cues, such as day length and temperature, influence the developmental programme of plants. Recent genetic research has shed light on the pathways that lead to seasonal responses in flowering. The regulation of these pathways inArabidopsis thaliana, their conservation throughout other species and comparative analysis of annual and perennial plants are considered here.
Twin studies have long been used for dissecting the relative contributions of genetics and other factors to various phenotypes. This Review discusses how these traditional studies are now being integrated with modern omics technologies to provide a wide range of biological insights.
The Notch signalling network is highly conserved in Metazoa and is crucial for various cell-fate decisions. Focusing onDrosophila melanogaster, this Review summarizes and integrates various recent studies, including large-scale genetic and proteomic screens that have provided a new appreciation of the complexity of Notch signalling.
There are many different methods and tools available for the analysis of next-generation sequencing data. The challenges towards applying these analysis tools in a transparent and reproducible manner are presented, and a way forward for analysing these data in life sciences research is discussed.
