REVIEW - Gene expression profiling in RA: current concepts and future directions

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Published Online First: 4 February 2008. doi:10.1136/ard.2007.076588

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REVIEW

Gene expression profiling in rheumatoid arthritis: current concepts

and future directions

E J M Toonen 1, P Barrera 2, T R D J Radstake 2, P L C M van Riel 2, H

Scheffer 1, B e 1, M J H Coenen 1

1 Department of Human Genetics of the Radboud University Nijmegen

Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

2 Department of Rheumatology of the Radboud University Nijmegen

Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Over the last years microarray technologies have generated new

perspectives for the high-throughput analysis of biological systems.

Nowadays, it is possible to monitor thousands of genes in a single

experiment. This molecular profiling technology combined with

standardised and validated clinical measurements can allow a more

precise characterisation of a patient's phenotype, and may lead to the

design of therapeutic protocols and procedures better tailored to an

individual patient's needs. In this report we provide an overview of

expression profiling studies in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is a

chronic inflammatory disease in which both genetic and environmental

factors are involved. The precise molecular mechanisms underlying RA

are not fully understood. A systematic literature search revealed nine

array-based expression profiling studies in patients with RA. Findings

from these studies were compared with those of linkage and genome-wide

association (GWA) studies. Although we observed many differences in

study design, analysis and interpretation of results between the

different studies, we extracted two sets of genes: (1) those

differentially expressed in more than one study, and (2) genes

differentially expressed in at least one of the reviewed studies and

present in RA linkage or GWA loci. We suggest that both sets of genes

include interesting candidate genes for further study in RA.

http://ard.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/67/12/1663?etoc

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