High Density Microarrays Profile Noncoding RNAs

The first high-density microarray has been launched for the profiling of noncoding ribonucleic acids (RNAs).

The NCode human and mouse noncoding RNA microarrays consist of both noncoding RNA and messenger RNA (mRNA) content on the same array. The arrays are designed by Invitrogen Corp. (Carlsbad, CA, USA) and then manufactured by Agilent Technologies, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA, USA), using the company's proprietary SurePrint technology. Invitrogen will market and distribute the product.

Transcription, or the synthesis of RNA as directed by DNA, involves not only messenger RNA (mRNA) corresponding to the genes that are translated into proteins, but also tens of thousands of long non-protein-coding RNAs. The noncoding RNAs appear to comprise a vast hidden layer of genetic programming implicated in development and disease pathways in mammals.

"Noncoding RNA transcripts play a variety of roles in a cell, ranging from simple housekeeping to complex regulatory functions, and evidence is mounting that their expression is perturbed in many cancers,” said John Mattick, Ph.D., professor of molecular biology at the University of Queensland (Australia)

"When we talked to scientists about their interest in studying noncoding RNA, many told us they wanted a microarray that consisted of both mRNA and noncoding RNA content, which would help them elucidate the function of specific noncoding RNAs in relation to known pathways of gene expression,” said Amy Butler, vice president of Gene Expression Profiling for Invitrogen. "We answered with an array-based solution, exclusive to Invitrogen that has tens of thousands of coding and noncoding sequences which could answer multiple scientific questions with a single experiment.”

Invitrogen provides products and services that support academic and government institutions, and pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide in their efforts to improve the human condition.

Agilent Technologies is a measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences, and chemical analysis.

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