Plant genomes contain an extremely large number of genes, both in number of gene families as well as in copy number per family. Consequently, searching for individual genes with conserved biological functions across different plant species is challenging. Apart from exploring known gene function information (e.g., Gene Ontology, literature/text mining), when and where a gene is expressed is an important factor contributing to the concept of gene function in multicellular organisms.

We have developed different tools to study gene functions and gene regulation. 

Transcriptional regulation - Networks

Through the integration of large-scale experimental datasets and the application of computational methods, we start to have functional clues for an increasing number of genes in plants. Although new technological developments improve the resolution of measuring for example when and where a gene is expressed, understanding the underlying mechanisms and identifying the sequences and factors controlling gene expression remains a major challenge.