Array Transcription Profiling: Molecular Phenotyping of Rodent Cardiovascular Models

Since its introduction just a few years ago, array transcription profiling (TP) has emerged as a powerful tool for the study of gene expression in cells and tissues, normal and diseased, across biological systems from bacteria to humans. In principle, TP measures expression levels for thousands of genes simultaneously and allows comparisons of these levels across different experimental conditions. Among the important applications of this technology is the molecular phenotyping of rodent genetic models. Gene expression profiling in engineered animals can be used in conjunction with cardiovascular anatomy, histology, and physiology to develop hypotheses regarding the roles of key genes in normal and disease biology. It has the potential to uncover not only individual genes but entire molecular pathways that operate in the cells of the cardiovascular system. In this chapter we will review the fundamentals of array TP, outline basic methodology, and discuss applications with a focus on rodent models of cardiovascular disease.