Microarray Profiling of Lymphocytes in Internal Diseases With an Altered Immune Response: Potential and Methodology
Recently it has become possible to investigate expression of all human genes with microarray technique. The authors provide arguments to consider peripheral white blood cells and in particular lymphocytes as a model for the investigation of pathophysiology of asthma, RA, and SLE diseases in which in...
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Main Authors: | , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2005-01-01
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Series: | Mediators of Inflammation |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/MI.2005.317 |
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Summary: | Recently it has become possible to investigate
expression of all human genes with microarray technique. The
authors provide arguments to consider peripheral white blood cells
and in particular lymphocytes as a model for the investigation of
pathophysiology of asthma, RA, and SLE diseases in which
inflammation is a major component. Lymphocytes are an alternative
to tissue biopsies that are most often difficult to collect
systematically. Lymphocytes express more than 75% of the human
genome, and, being an important part of the immune system, they
play a central role in the pathogenesis of asthma, RA, and SLE.
Here we review alterations of gene expression in lymphocytes and
methodological aspects of the microarray technique in these
diseases. Lymphocytic genes may become activated because of a
general nonspecific versus disease-specific mechanism.
The authors suppose that in these diseases microarray profiles of
gene expression in lymphocytes can be disease specific, rather
than inflammation specific. Some potentials and pitfalls of the
array technologies are discussed. Optimal clinical designs aimed
to identify disease-specific genes are proposed. Lymphocytes can
be explored for research, diagnostic, and possible treatment
purposes in these diseases, but their precise
value should be clarified in future investigation. |
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ISSN: | 0962-9351 1466-1861 |