You are working in a laboratory, trying to identify how the nematode worm C. elegans senses and moves toward specific "attractant" chemicals. You examine an electronic database that compiles mRNA expression profiles of all nematode genes measured by DNA microarray hybridization experiments, and find that an unknown gene is transcribed coordinately with several genes known to be involved in the attractant response. You name this gene Unk1 and set out to learn what it does.
A. Without doing a single experiment at the lab bench, how can you learn more about what the Unk1 protein might be doing? How might this influence your choice of experiments with Unk1?
B. You decide to look for proteins that bind to Unk1, which may provide important clues to its function. Briefly describe an approach to find binding partners.