DNA-Chiptechnologie: Analyse der Genregulation

Abstract

For the understanding of biological systems with up to 30000 genes the measurement of RNA levels for a complete set of transcripts will be necessary. An ideal tool for such measurements is the Mikroarray technology, a method in which oligonucleotides or PCR products were arrayed on silylated glas slides using special robotics, so called arrayers. These Mikroarrays are normally hybridized with fluorescent labelled cDNA targets and they provide significant advantages over traditional molecular biological methods. Parallel gene analysis with DNA chips provides a rapid and efficient method for large-scale and high throughput applications: DNA Mikroarrays can be used to measure the expression levels of thousands of genes in parallel. They can also be used to monitor the changes in gene expression in response to drug treatments. They allow rapid and cost-effective screens for mutations and sequence variations in genomic DNA and provide novel insights into fundamental biological processes of human diseases at the molecular level.