SYSTEMS FOR CATEGORIZING FUNCTIONS OF GENE-PRODUCTS

As the sequencing of the total DNA of many organisms continues, attent ion is turning next to the interpretation of the function of all of th e genes and gene products, with the aim of learning the full meaning o f the entire genetic blueprint of a sequenced organism in concrete ter ms. To set the stage for accomplishing this, systems need to be constr ucted for the expression of the functions of gene products in systemat ic yet rich ways. As much as possible, the same systems should be appl icable to all organisms, so that when comparability exists among organ isms the connections will become clear.