Microarray analysis of gene expression in microdissected samples

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Klin Onkol 2006; 19(Suppl2): 360-365.

Abstract:
The DNA microarray is a powerful, high throughput technique for assessing gene expression on a systemwide genomic scale. Most expression profiling studies of solid tumors have used biopsy samples containing large numbers of contaminating stromal and other cell types, thereby complicating any precise delineation of gene expression in nontumor versus tumor cell types. Combining microdissection, RNA amplification protocols, microarray technologies and our knowledge of the human genome sequence, it is possible to isolate pure populations of cells or even a single cell and interrogate the expression of thousands of sequences for the purpose of more precisely defining the biology of the tumor cell. In this short overview, we provide informations on selected problems which we had to solve during our microarray analysis of microdissected normal and tumour cells of mammary gland. We provide our optimized procedure as well. The whole project consisted of the long-term collection of snap-frozen tissues, optimalization of staining of cryosections for laser capture microdissection, isolation and amplification of RNA, hybridization onto chips, data analysis and finally verification of the results by immunohistochemistry. Our work is currently reviewed by an international journal and we can’t provide detailed information on particular achievements yet.

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