Global profiling of gene expression in cancer using genomics and proteomics

Global profiling of gene expression at the genomic level using DNA microarrays and at the protein level using a variety of technologies have followed separate paths. Studies of gene expression for several types of tumors, using DNA microarrays, have been published recently that are informative with respect to delineating distinct patterns of gene expression among subsets of related tumors. Proteomics-based profiling uniquely allows delineation of global changes in protein expression patterns resulting from transcriptional and post-transcriptional control, post-translational modifications and shifts in proteins between different cellular compartments. Some of the current technologies for proteome profiling and the application of proteomics to the analysis of tumor tissues are reviewed. Given that comprehensive expression profiles obtained using genomics and proteomics are highly complementary, a combined approach to profiling may well uncover expression patterns that could not be predicted using a single approach.