Microarray Approach to Identify the Signaling Network Responsible for Self-Renewal of Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Here we introduce the representative method to culture HESCs under the feeder and feeder-free conditions, the former of which is used to maintain or expand undifferentiated HESCs, and the latter can be used for the preparation of pure HESCs RNA samples, or for screening factors influential on self-renewal of HESCs. We also describe a protocol and tips for conducting gene chip analysis focusing on widely used Affymetrix Microarrays. These techniques will provide us unprecedented scale of biological information that would illuminate a key to decipher complex signaling networks controlling pluripotency.