Bioinformatics approaches to the understanding of Notch signaling in the biology of stem cells

Notch is highly conserved signaling pathway throughout the evolution, which regulates tissue homeostasis in wide range of adult tissues as well as many aspects of embryonic development. Moreover, it plays a crucial role in the progression of numerous disease processes, including cancer during the carcinogenesis associated with cancer stem cells, as well as cancer progression and response to therapies. Our knowledge of the molecular characteristics of Notch signaling and pathways has substantially improved with the rise and development of accurate and reliable mass data collection tools. However, these technological developments have also made it more challenging to accurately analyze and interpret these ever-expanding datasets. Fortunately, the field of bioinformatics has evolved along with technologies, enabling the development of biological databases. These databases have offered a condensed resource of organized information that is easy to comprehend and retrieve. This has led to the development of theoretical models of information flow of Notch signal transduction from transmembrane receptor systems to physiological and pharmacological outcomes. In this chapter, we discuss the contribution of various bioinformatics and computational tools to the understanding of Notch signaling in the stem cells biology. Moreover, we also give a brief insight into how this knowledge has influenced the development of various diagnostic tools and therapeutic compounds targeting Notch signaling in malignancies.