Koczan Dirk, Thiesen Hans-Juergen
Institute for Immunology/Proteome Center Rostock, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
Proteomics. 2006 Sep;6(17):4704-15. doi: 10.1002/pmic.200600010.
Current microarray systems are suitable to monitor genome-wide expression patterns, to detect single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), to identify target genes of transcription factors and DNA-protein interaction sites thereof as well as to determine genomic sites that are modified by methylation of CpG islands. In this review, advantages and limitations of individual microarray technologies are presented as well as experiences from ongoing studies on KRAB zinc finger gene families are taken to exemplify how different microarray approaches are applicable to elucidate complex transcriptional networks of gene regulation. However, bioinformaticians should be aware that each microarray technology has limitations in its sensitivity and selectivity that has to be taken into account once data mining on comprehensive genome-wide microarray data is conducted. In many cases, microarray results are the initial step to identify target genes of interest and to study the molecular regulation of biological processes thereof followed and validated by complementary proteome, metabolome or toponome analysis. Thus, microarray technologies can be considered a reliable approach for determining gene functions that might be modulated by electromagnetic fields.
当前的微阵列系统适用于监测全基因组表达模式、检测单核苷酸多态性（SNP）、识别转录因子的靶基因及其DNA-蛋白质相互作用位点，以及确定因CpG岛甲基化而被修饰的基因组位点。在本综述中，介绍了各种微阵列技术的优缺点，并以正在进行的关于KRAB锌指基因家族的研究经验为例，说明不同的微阵列方法如何适用于阐明复杂的基因调控转录网络。然而，生物信息学家应该意识到，每种微阵列技术在灵敏度和选择性方面都有局限性，一旦对全基因组微阵列数据进行数据挖掘，就必须考虑到这一点。在许多情况下，微阵列结果是识别感兴趣的靶基因以及研究其生物学过程的分子调控的第一步，随后通过互补的蛋白质组、代谢组或拓扑组分析进行跟踪和验证。因此，微阵列技术可被视为确定可能受电磁场调节的基因功能的可靠方法。
