Gene expression profiling: monitoring transcription and translation products using DNA microarrays and proteomics

Novel and powerful technologies such as DNA microarrays and proteomics have made possible the analysis of the expression levels of multiple genes simu ltaneously both in health and disease. In combination, these technologies p romise to revolutionize biology, in particular in the area of molecular med icine as they are expected to reveal gene regulation events involved in dis ease progression as well as to pinpoint potential targets for drug discover y and diagnostics. Here, we review the current status of these technologies and highlight some studies in which they have been applied in concert to t he analysis of biopsy specimens. (C) 2000 Federation of European Biochemica l Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.