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Clustered gene expression changes flank targeted gene loci in knockout mice.
1Genes to Cognition Programme, The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Plos One
|December 13, 2007
Summary
Gene expression profiling in knockout mice revealed that many changed genes were near the targeted gene. This clustering was due to flanking DNA from the parental ES cell, not biological regulation.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Molecular Biology
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- Gene expression profiling using microarrays is essential for studying regulatory networks.
- Analyzing mRNA levels in mutant organisms can identify genes regulated by mutated proteins.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate genome-wide gene expression changes in knockout mice.
- To identify genes regulated by mutated proteins and understand their distribution.
Main Methods:
- Utilized microarray technology to profile gene expression in tissues from multiple knockout mouse lines.
- Examined genome-wide changes in messenger RNA (mRNA) levels.
Main Results:
- A significant proportion of genes with altered expression were located near the targeted gene in knockout mice.
- Observed apparent clustering of differentially expressed genes.
Conclusions:
- The observed gene clustering was attributed to the presence of flanking DNA from the parental embryonic stem (ES) cell, not direct gene regulation.
- Recommendations are provided for analyzing and reporting microarray data from knockout mouse studies to avoid misinterpretation.
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