DNA microarrays or DNA chips were introduced in the middle nineties and have developed as a very powerful tool for structural and functional analysis of genomes. With thousands to millions of probes deposited on each microarray, it is now possible to perform various kinds of analysis on the genome-wide scale. The basic use of microarrays is gene expression profiling. For this purpose, both one- and two-color labeling methods are used. More sophisticated DNA microarrays allow for analyzing alternative splicing, DNA-protein interactions, chromatine modifications and many more. Currently, DNA microarrays represent an indispensable tool in biology and medicine.
Genome tiling microarrays, covering whole genomic sequence, have gained increasing popularity in transcript mapping studies. Functional analysis of model eucaryotic and procaryotic genomes proved their sensitivity and versatility in discovering actively transcribed regions of the genomes. Many novel proteins coding genes, miRNA coding genes, antisense transcripts and other non-protein coding regulatory RNAs, transcribed from introns, intergenic and centromeric regions have been identified this way. Their expression can often be linked to specific developmental stages, organs or stress response in plants and animals, giving further insight into processes which were considered to be already well characterized.
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.