Cell-biological applications of transfected-cell microarrays

Cell microarrays are a recent addition to the set of tools available for functional genomic studies. Each cell microarray is a slide with thousands of cell clusters that are each transfected with a defined DNA, which directs either the overproduction or the inhibition of a particular gene product. By using a range of detection assays, the phenotypic consequences of perturbing each gene in mammalian cells can be probed in a systematic, high-throughput fashion. Combining well-established methods for cellular investigation with the miniaturization and multiplexing capabilities of microarrays, cell arrays are a versatile tool that can be useful in many cell-biological applications.