Exploration of functional non-coding sequences in the higher eukaryotic genomes.

为了探索隐藏在高等真核生物基因组中的功能性非编码序列，我们对人类和其他主要模式动物的全基因组序列进行了生物信息学分析。首先，我们对人类和其他哺乳动物物种进行了比较基因组学分析，并创建了一个新的基因组序列比对数据库，名为G-compass （http://www.jbirc.aist.go.jp/g-compass/）。在创建基因组比对时，我们发现82个人类基因组区域在人和小鼠之间完全保守。其中一些保守区域与已知基因重叠，但其他区域被认为包含人类基因组中未识别的功能元素。Fujii et al.（2005）在一篇论文中报道了这些结果。此外，我们比较了人类、黑猩猩、小鼠和大鼠的全基因组序列，发现这四个物种中只有16.4%的人类基因组是保守的。Sakate et al.（2006）在一篇论文中报道了这一结果。接下来，我们探索了人类基因组中的功能性非编码元件。通过对人类基因组和人类转录本的序列分析，我们预测了许多新的候选人类microrna及其潜在的靶基因（调控）。部分成果已申请专利。总之，我们开发了鉴定基因组中功能性非编码元件的方法，并成功地鉴定了其中的一些。

In order to explore functional non-coding sequences hidden in the higher eukaryotic genomes, we conducted bioinformatic analyses of whole genomic sequences of human and other major model animals. First, we conducted comparative genomics analyses of human and other mammalian species, and created a new database of genomic sequence alignments named as G-compass (http://www.jbirc.aist.go.jp/g-compass/). While creating the genomic alignments, we discovered 82 human genomic regions that were completely conserved between human and mouse. Some of these conserved regions overlapped with known genes, but others were suggested to contain unidentified functional elements in the human genome. These results were reported in a paper by Fujii et al. (2005). Furthermore, we compared whole genomic sequences of human, chimpanzee, mouse and rat, and found that only 16.4% of the human genome is conserved in all these four species. This result was reported in a paper by Sakate et al. (2006). Next, we explored functional non-coding elements in the human genome. By sequence analyses of human genome and human transcripts, we predicted many new candidates of human microRNAs and their potential target (regulated) genes. A part of these results was applied for patents. In conclusion, we developed methods for identifying functional non-coding elements in the genomes, and succeeded in identifying some of them.