DNA microarray and genes expression patterns Part one: design and use

DNA microarray-based gene expression profiting relies on nucleic acid hybridization and the use of nucleic acid immobilized on a solid surface. Expression profiting techniques have been used to simultaneously monitor the expression of thousands genes from biological samples. They are relatively easy to use and can be applied to large number of samples in parallel. Various computational tools have been created to facilitate the analysis of the large volume of data produced in DNA microarray experiments. Normalization is a critical step for obtaining data that are reliable and usable for subsequent analysis such as identification of differentially expressed genes and clustering. We describe here, the different microarray technologies, their use and the different ways to express the data as genes expression patterns. (C) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits reserves.