Step 1: Candidate genes from microarray analysis

Goals

In this step our goal is to identify genes candidate to play a role in neurodegeneration (by promoting or attenuating the process).

You are given data from different human deceaded patients, including their clinic data related to neurodegeneration and the microarray data of the expression levels of 49 genes in their brain tissue (Cox 3, Utb-5,..).

How to proceed

1. Compare the expression level of each gene between the different patients. The stronger the mark, the higher the expression level.
2. Identifify which genes present expression differences between the different patients.
3. Try to interprete which is the role these genes are playing in neurodegeneration, taking in account the different Clinic histories of the patients. Do it by filling the Hypothesis proposal table for the three genes you consider more interesting.
4. Select one of the candidate genes to be studied through bioinformatics strategies.

Key ideas to take into account

• Gene expression is regulated (activated or inhibited) by different stimulus through its promotor.
• Different environments activate different genes as a response to balance the effects.
• Some genes can act as supressors of a process, and other genes can act as promotors of a process.
• Different promotors account for different endogen levels of expression and thus, different regulations of a process.