Massive data acquisition technologies, such as genome sequencing, high-throughput drug screening, and DNA arrays are in the process of revolutionizing biology and medicine. Using the mRNA of a given cell, at a given time, under a given set of conditions, DNA microarrays can provide a snapshot of the level of expression of all the genes in the cell. Such snapshots can be used to study fundamental biological phenomena such as development or evolution, to determine the function of new genes, to infer the role individual genes or groups of genes may play in diseases, and to monitor the effect of drugs and other compounds on gene expression. Originally published in 2002, this inter-disciplinary introduction to DNA arrays will be of value to anyone with an a interest in this powerful technology.
Preface; 1. A brief history of genomics; 2. DNA array formats; 3. DNA array readout methods; 4. Gene expression profiling experiments: problems, pitfalls and solutions; 5. Statistical analysis of array data: inferring changes; 6. Statistical analysis of array data: dimensionality reduction, clustering, and regulatory regions; 7. Survey of current DNA array applications; 8. Systems biology: overview of regulatory, metabolic and signaling networks.
