ChIP-chip: considerations for the design, analysis, and application of genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments.

Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is a well-established procedure to investigate interactions between proteins and DNA. Coupled with whole-genome DNA microarrays, ChIPS allow one to determine the entire spectrum of in vivo DNA binding sites for any given protein. The design and analysis of ChIP-microarray (also called ChIP-chip) experiments differ significantly from the conventions used for locus ChIP approaches and ChIP-chip experiments, and these differences require new methods of analysis. In this light, we review the design of DNA microarrays, the selection of controls, the level of repetition required, and other critical parameters for success in the design and analysis of ChIP-chip experiments, especially those conducted in the context of mammalian or other relatively large genomes.