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The genomes of a wide variety of organisms have now been sequenced; a major challenge ahead is to identify genes and their encoded projects and to understand their function and regulation. For the case of budding yeast a wide variety of approaches have been undertaken to identify genes and proteins and characterize gene and protein function on a global scale. The analysis of gene and protein function using transposon tagging, large scale gene inactivation, proteinprotein interactions, and biochemical assays (e.. g protein micorarrays) have been carried out on a global scale. Using bioinformatic methods, the integration of multiple approaches and even multiple data sets using the same approach greatly enhances the information and accuracy of the results. The analysis of gene regulation using expression analysis and identification of binding sites of transcription factors is beginning to reveal complex regulatory networks. These networks are even more informative when integrated with other types of information such as protein-protein interactions and protein complex formation. I will present the current state of different global projects involved in identifying genes and analyzing their function in yeast. Extension of similar projects to humans will also be discussed. Emphasis will be given on 1) several projects from our laboratory (gene identification, proteome arrays and global analysis of gene regulation) and 2) unexpected findings 3) how this information is utilized by the scientific community.