Network Motifs: Theory and Experimental Approaches
From The Circuits and Biology Lab at UMN
Author: Uri Alon
Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute
Abstract: Transcription regulation networks control the expression of genes. The transcription networks of well-studied microorganisms appear to be made up of a small set of recurring regulation patterns, called network motifs. The same network motifs have recently been found in diverse organisms from bacteria to humans, suggesting that they serve as basic building blocks of transcription networks. Here I review network motifs and their functions, with an emphasis on experimental studies. Network motifs in other biological networks are also mentioned, including signalling and neuronal networks.
Publication: Nature Reviews Genetics, 8, pp. 450–461, June 2007.
