Microarray technology for analysis of microRNA expression in renal biopsies of lupus nephritis patients

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease, which predominantly occurs in females and is characterized by autoantibody production against a host of nuclear self-antigens and deposition of proinflammatory immune complexes in the organs including kidney glomeruli. MicroRNAs are small noncoding intracellular RNAs that modulate gene expression at the posttranslational level. Microarray technology is in widespread use for analysis of microRNA (miRNA) gene expression because of its flexibility and accurate high throughput. RNA microarray technology is based on nucleic acid hybridization between a mixture of labeled RNA targets and their corresponding complementary probes. This article offers a technological overview of microarray technology for analysis of microRNA gene expression in kidney biopsies from SLE patients.