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Structural genomics: beyond the Human Genome Project

Nature Genetics volume 23, pages 151–157 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

With access to whole genome sequences for various organisms and imminent completion of the Human Genome Project, the entire process of discovery in molecular and cellular biology is poised to change. Massively parallel measurement strategies promise to revolutionize how we study and ultimately understand the complex biochemical circuitry responsible for controlling normal development, physiologic homeostasis and disease processes. This information explosion is also providing the foundation for an important new initiative in structural biology. We are about to embark on a program of high-throughput X-ray crystallography aimed at developing a comprehensive mechanistic understanding of normal and abnormal human and microbial physiology at the molecular level. We present the rationale for creation of a structural genomics initiative, recount the efforts of ongoing structural genomics pilot studies, and detail the lofty goals, technical challenges and pitfalls facing structural biologists.

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Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3: Flowchart depicting the processes involved in high-throughput structural genomics using X-ray crystallography.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health Center for Research Resources, the Department of Energy, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and The Rockefeller University. S.K.B. is an Investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 1230 York Avenue, New York, 10021, New York, USA

    Stephen K Burley & Jeffrey B Bonanno

  2. The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, 10021, New York, USA

    Stephen K Burley, Jeffrey B Bonanno, Terry Gaasterland & Andrej Šali

  3. Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, 10461, New York, USA

    Steven C Almo & Mark R Chance

  4. Department of Biology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, 11973, New York, USA

    Malcolm Capel, Dawei Lin, F. William Studier & Subramanyam Swaminathan

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  1. Stephen K Burley
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Correspondence to Stephen K Burley.

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Burley, S., Almo, S., Bonanno, J. et al. Structural genomics: beyond the Human Genome Project. Nat Genet 23, 151–157 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/13783

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