Here I was content with my KEGG. (Yeah that's Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. Here's the link to their website: http://www.genome.jp/kegg/ . )
And here comes my thesis adviser, urging me to get my proposal done by asking me to choose which genes will I be monitoring as part of my thesis. And so I was about to launch on my report about this website I discovered and which I am using so I could easily follow the pathways involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis when he showed a website with really catchy and colorful representations of the pathways that goes on in our cells...and yeah in our bodies.
And so I saved myself from being bothered with comments like "Ohhh. You're using that one? That is so yesterday." from my adviser and let him describe how his new choice of website on pathways works.
And so I saved myself from being bothered with comments like "Ohhh. You're using that one? That is so yesterday." from my adviser and let him describe how his new choice of website on pathways works.
Start with this:
And you are faced with a list of pathways you probably haven't heard of in your entire life. Well, if you're a geek then you've heard probably 1/3 of them. If you're a super geek, then you know 2/3 of them. And if you're an omnipotent being, you don't need this list cause you probably know all what's in the list. There are over 350 Interactive Pathway Maps. And my thesis will deal with probably one or two of them.
And so back to Dr. Matias, my well-known thesis adviser. He made things clear to me by explaining that I should first choose one of the pathways listed. And he said it should touch on Inflammation or Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis.
And so back to Dr. Matias, my well-known thesis adviser. He made things clear to me by explaining that I should first choose one of the pathways listed. And he said it should touch on Inflammation or Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis.
I suggested we start by checking the Jak-Stat Pathway.
Here's the link: http://www5.appliedbiosystems.com/tools/pathway/pathway.php?pathway=JAK-STAT%20Pathway
I clicked on it and what do I get?
I get confused...LOL...
Not only is the pathway so convoluted. It's just toooo much for my mind to take all the participating proteins and genes in it. But since I read some articles about Stat1 and Stat3 assays being used in some laboratories to screen naturally-occurring compounds for their anti-inflammatory activities, I asked Dr. Matias to click on Stat1 and what do you know. A window was opened and led to this link:
Not only is the pathway so convoluted. It's just toooo much for my mind to take all the participating proteins and genes in it. But since I read some articles about Stat1 and Stat3 assays being used in some laboratories to screen naturally-occurring compounds for their anti-inflammatory activities, I asked Dr. Matias to click on Stat1 and what do you know. A window was opened and led to this link:
I clicked on the listed available TaqMan Gene Expression Assay. Oh yeah, that's the good thing about this site. They list down the commercially available assays offered by Ambion, Inc.
Some call it being lazy. But I call it Tech-Savvy. Not only does technology make things easier for businesses. It also makes scientific research less of a nightmare.
Some call it being lazy. But I call it Tech-Savvy. Not only does technology make things easier for businesses. It also makes scientific research less of a nightmare.
But of course, I'm not settling down for Stat1 only. I'm taking advantage of their promo. I'm not sure if this is just a promo of our local supplier but you can ask Ambion about it through their website. But you can order a pair of kits for a lower price. Yeah, that's right!
I'm still choosing between MMP-9. Dr. Matias shoved this on me. But I am beginning to warm up to MMP-9 because of it's many roles in the pathogenesis of many diseases. It means that if my extracts from Centella asiatica will work on inhibiting MMP-9 it could help alleviate many of the diseases involving crazy-ass genetic expression of MMP-9.
I'll talk more about Stat1 and MMP-9 once I'm done reading on them. For the meantime, I already have my first picture for my slide shows when I'll be defending my thesis. Talk about pathways, huh?
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