Nutrigenomics Consortium, Top Institute Food and Nutrition, Wageningen, The Netherlands,
Genes Nutr. 2008 Dec;3(3-4):153-7. doi: 10.1007/s12263-008-0094-1. Epub 2008 Nov 26.
Microarray technology allows us to perform high-throughput screening of changes in gene expression. The outcome of microarray experiments largely depends on the applied analysis methods and cut-off values chosen. Results are often required to be verified using a more sensitive detection technique, such as quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR or RT-PCR). Throughout the years, this technique has become a de facto golden standard. Individual qPCRs are time-consuming, but the technology to perform high-throughput qPCR reactions has become available through PCR-arrays that allow up to 384 PCR reactions simultaneously. Our current aim was to investigate the usability of a RT(2) Profilertrade mark PCR-array as validation in a nutritional intervention study, where the measured changes in gene expression were low. For some differentially expressed genes, the PCR-array confirmed the microarray prediction, though not for all. Furthermore, the PCR-array allowed picking up the expression of genes that were not measurable on the microarray platform but also vice versa. We conclude that both techniques have their own (dis)advantages and specificities, and for less pronounced changes using both technologies may be useful as complementation rather than validation.
微阵列技术使我们能够进行高通量筛选基因表达变化。微阵列实验的结果在很大程度上取决于所应用的分析方法和选择的截止值。结果通常需要使用更敏感的检测技术（如定量实时 PCR(qPCR 或 RT-PCR)）进行验证。多年来，这项技术已成为事实上的黄金标准。个别 qPCR 很耗时，但通过允许同时进行多达 384 个 PCR 反应的 PCR 阵列，高通量 qPCR 反应的技术已经变得可行。我们目前的目的是研究 RT(2)Profilertrade mark PCR 阵列作为验证在营养干预研究中的可用性，其中测量的基因表达变化较低。对于一些差异表达的基因，PCR 阵列证实了微阵列的预测，但并非所有基因都是如此。此外，PCR 阵列还可以检测到在微阵列平台上无法测量的基因的表达，反之亦然。我们得出的结论是，这两种技术都有其自身的（优缺点和特异性，对于变化不那么明显的情况，使用这两种技术可能是有用的，因为它们是互补的，而不是验证。
