Gene expression profiling by DNA microarrays and its application to dental research

Patrick Kuo, Winston; Whipple, Mark E.; Sonis, Stephen T.; Ohno-Machado, Lucila; Jenssen, Tor-Kristian

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Volume 38, Issue 7 , Pages 650-656, October 2002

Gene expression profiling by DNA microarrays and its application to dental research

Winston Patrick Kuo
- Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 188 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Decision Systems Group, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Children's Hospital Informatics Program, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Corresponding author. Fax: +1-617-734-6371
Mark E. Whipple
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
Stephen T. Sonis
- Division of Oral Medicine, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Lucila Ohno-Machado
- Decision Systems Group, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard University and MIT, Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Tor-Kristian Jenssen
- Department of Tumor Biology, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway

Received 4 March 2002; accepted 11 March 2002.

Abstract

DNA microarray technology has been used for genome-wide gene expression studies that incorporate molecular genetics and computer science skills on massive levels. The technology permits the simultaneous analysis of tens of thousands of genes for the purposes of gene discovery, disease diagnosis, improved drug development, and therapeutics tailored to specific disease processes. Objective: In this review, the two most common microarray technologies and their potential application to dental research will be discussed. The authors review current articles pertaining to the technologies and analysis of mRNA expression using DNA microarrays and its application to dental research. Since many genes contribute to normal functioning, research efforts are moving from the search for a disease specific gene to the understanding of the biochemical and molecular functioning of a variety of genes and how complicated networks of interaction can lead to a disease state, such as oral cancer. With the incorporation of DNA microarray based research, we can look forward to more accurate diagnosis and surgical treatment/drug-delivery therapy based on an individual patient's genetic profile.

Keywords: DNA Microarrays, Gene expression, Dental research, Oral cancer