Halytskiy V. Bioinformatical analysis of molecular mechanisms of lymphoid cell differentiation

The object of investigation: process of lymphoid cell differentiation. The aim: to investigate basic structure of cell differentiation gene network, to discover microRNA role in functioning of this network as well as to reconstruct molecular mechanisms of the lymphopoiesis. Methods: computer analysis of nucleotide sequences, in silico search of microRNA binding sites. It was show that 5'-CG-3' and 5'-CNG-3' sites are discovered in interfering RNAs more often than they should be found in random sequence. Mechanisms of initiation of DNA methylation de novo and allelic exclusion by interfering RNAs were proposed on this basis. Gene module concept was proposed, according to which gene network of cell differentiation consists of gene modules, which are specific only for certain stage and direction of differentiation and are controlled by positive feedback. Structure of the gene network of B- and T-lymphopoiesis was reconstructed. Field of application: research and educational institutes of biological and medical profile.