Mast cell-specific genes--new drug targets/pathogenesis.

It has become possible to see all the expressed genes present in a cell (transcriptome) at once using microarray. We have applied microarray technology in various studies involving allergic diseases. Although we and others have discovered various novel molecules crucially involved in the pathogenesis of the disease, transcriptome assay is now expected as a tool for understanding the whole molecule balancing, i.e., system biology. Here I introduce examples of our trials for understanding the whole functional roles of mast cells as has been published in the web database for transcriptomes expressed by several mast cell types and various cell types. In the near future, we will be able to construct human mast cell models in silico (in a computer) by analyzing integrative information regarding the genome, transcriptome and proteome of mast cells, and will be able to test our hypotheses without having to perform in vitro tests.