van Bakel Harm, Holstege Frank C P
University Medical Center Utrecht, PO Box 85060, 3508 AB Utrecht, The Netherlands.
EMBO Rep. 2004 Oct;5(10):964-9. doi: 10.1038/sj.embor.7400253.
Expression profiling using DNA microarrays is a powerful technique that is widely used in the life sciences. How reliable are microarray-derived measurements? The assessment of performance is challenging because of the complicated nature of microarray experiments and the many different technology platforms. There is a mounting call for standards to be introduced, and this review addresses some of the issues that are involved. Two important characteristics of performance are accuracy and precision. The assessment of these factors can be either for the purpose of technology optimization or for the evaluation of individual microarray hybridizations. Microarray performance has been evaluated by at least four approaches in the past. Here, we argue that external RNA controls offer the most versatile system for determining performance and describe how such standards could be implemented. Other uses of external controls are discussed, along with the importance of probe sequence availability and the quantification of labelled material.
使用DNA微阵列进行表达谱分析是一种强大的技术,在生命科学中被广泛应用。微阵列衍生测量的可靠性如何?由于微阵列实验的复杂性和众多不同的技术平台,性能评估具有挑战性。越来越多的人呼吁引入标准,本综述探讨了其中涉及的一些问题。性能的两个重要特征是准确性和精密度。对这些因素的评估既可以用于技术优化,也可以用于评估单个微阵列杂交。过去至少有四种方法评估微阵列性能。在这里,我们认为外部RNA对照为确定性能提供了最通用的系统,并描述了如何实施此类标准。还讨论了外部对照的其他用途,以及探针序列可用性和标记材料定量的重要性。