Gene Ontology: tool for the unification of biology

Genomic sequencing has made it clear that a large fraction of the genes spe cifying the core biological functions are shared by all eukaryotes. Knowled ge of the biological role of such shared proteins in one organism can often be transferred to other organisms. The goal of the Gene Ontology Consortiu m is to produce a dynamic, controlled vocabulary that can be applied to all eukaryotes even as knowledge of gene and protein roles in cells is accumul ating and changing. To this end, three independent ontologies accessible on the World-Wide Web (http://www.geneontology.org) are being constructed: bi ological process, molecular function and cellular component.