We offer microarray technology-based collaboration opportunities to study genome expression, their regulation, and genome variation. In addition to Affymetrix's catalog arrays, several custom arrays are also available. These custom arrays include the rice GeneChip® with probes for over 50,000 genes, the wheat GeneChip with probes for 38,000 genes, the tomato GeneChip with probes for 22,000 genes, the Arabidopsis whole genome GeneChip with probes covering over 26,000 genes, and the maize GeneChip with probes for 80,000 genes. GeneChip arrays with probes for plant pathogens Cochliobolus, and Phytophthora are also available.
A GeneChip array uses a set of oligonucleotide probes to detect each gene transcript. One high-density array could contain probes for up to 80,000 genes. An image of the results of a hybridization is shown to the right.
An array can provide researchers with a large quantity of reproducible data (see scatter plot of two independent hybridizations of RNA samples and table below).
Our gene expression analysis is performed using a GeneChip system from Affymetrix. The system includes a fluidics station (shown right), a high-resolution scanner, a controlling computer and a hybridization oven. Labeled cRNA samples synthesized from total RNA are used for array hybridization.
The hybridization signals are detected by the scanner and analyzed by computer software designed for image processing, visualization, pattern recognition and statistical analysis (Figure right).
GeneChip® is a registered trademark of Affymetrix.
