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Updated: Jul 27, 2026

Laser Capture Microdissection of Enriched Populations of Neurons or Single Neurons for Gene Expression Analysis After Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: April 10, 2013
An orchestrated gene expression component of neuronal programmed cell death revealed by cDNA array analysis
L W Chiang1, J M Grenier, L Ettwiller
1Millennium Pharmaceuticals, 640 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. chiang@mpi.com
Abstract:
Programmed cell death (PCD) during neuronal development and disease has been shown to require de novo RNA synthesis. However, the time course and regulation of target genes is poorly understood. By using a brain-biased array of over 7,500 cDNAs, we profiled this gene expression component of PCD in cerebellar granule neurons challenged separately by potassium withdrawal, combined potassium and serum withdrawal, and kainic acid administration. We found that hundreds of genes were significantly regulated in discreet waves including known genes whose protein products are involved in PCD. A restricted set of genes was regulated by all models, providing evidence that signals inducing PCD can regulate large assemblages of genes (of which a restricted subset may be shared in multiple pathways).
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