Gene arrays are not just for measuring gene expression [Review]

摘要

Recent advances in the application of high-density oligonucleotide arrays offer new opportunities for gene discovery through genotyping several hundred thousand loci in a single assay. This is accomplished by hybridizing labeled total genomic DNA to a GeneChip rather than using mRNA, which measures gene transcript abundance. The single feature polymorphisms (SFPs) detected by this technique are the consequence of allelic variants ranging from single nucleotide polymorphisms to large deletions that differentially hybridize to the oligonucleotide array features. In yeast, this approach has proven useful in linkage mapping, the dissection of quantitative trait loci, and in assessing species population structure. Recently, the utility of this technology has been shown in the Arabidopsis genome.