Gene-Expression Profiling and Restenosis

A central goal of molecular cardiology is the characterization of molecular mechanisms regulating complex cardiovascular functions and the identification of diseaseassociated gene-expression patterns. Gene transcription is the most important regulatory mechanism by which a phenotype and functional state of a cell and a tissue is determined. Therefore, qualitative and quantitative assessment is the first step into the nature of biological processes. When small cell numbers are used, messenger RNA (mRNA) abundance is easier to investigate in a comprehensive manner than protein expression.