Expression profiling techniques for cardiac molecular phenotyping

Evidence from clinical and experimental heart failure studies indicates tha t cardiac growth and morphogenesis are important determinants for morbidity and mortality. Characterization of the myocardial gene expression patterns that are associated with these processes may be useful in the search for n ovel therapeutic strategies. Changes in tissue mRNA abundance have traditio nally been monitored by a candidate gene approach, in which transcripts of interest have been analyzed one or several at a time. New methodologies for detecting differentially expressed genes, such as DNA microarrays, and res triction fragment display, are now enabling molecular phenotyping to be per formed on a much larger scale. Here ive describe our work on the applicatio n of these methods and the insights gained into the biology and pathophysio logy of the myocardium. (C) 2001, Elsevier Science Inc.