Application of DNA microarray to toxicological research

Abstract

DNA microarray technology is becoming increasingly popular in the field of toxicological research. Information on the global gene expression profile may provide clues to understanding biological actions of toxic substances at the molecular, cellular, tissue, and individual animal levels. This review focuses on the practical aspects of DNA microarray experiments and their applications to relatively small sizes of research projects in toxicology. First, different types of DNA microarrays and their characters are reviewed. Then, two fundamental concepts of DNA microarray data analysis--supervised and unsupervised methods--and their applications to toxicological research projects are discussed. Typical pitfalls of DNA microarray experiments are examined. Finally, strategies of experimental design and data analysis of minimum scale DNA microarray project are provided.