Regulatory code

Our brain, and by extension our entire body, is made up of many different types of cells. While they share the same DNA, all these cell types have their own shape and function. 

What makes each cell type different is a complex puzzle that researchers have been trying to put together for decades from short DNA sequences that act like switches, controlling which genes are turned on or off. 

The fine-tuned regulation of these switches ensures that each type of brain cell uses just the right genetic instructions from the genome to perform its unique role. Scientists refer to the unique patterns of these genetic switches as a regulatory code.

Prof. Stein Aerts and his team at VIB.AI and the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research study the fundamental principles of this regulatory code, and how it may impact diseases such as cancer or brain disorders. 

They develop deep learning methods to help make sense of the huge amount of information on gene regulation they gather from thousands and thousands of individual cells.

“Deep-learning models working with the DNA sequence code have helped us enormously to identify regulatory mechanisms across different cell types,” explains Aerts. “Now, we wanted to explore whether this regulatory code could also inform us on how these cell types are conserved across species.”