Expression and Function of Differentially Expressed Genes in Glioblastoma by Using cDNA Microarray

Objective: To study the expression of differentially expressed genes in the development of human glioblastoma and molecular pathogenesis of glioblastoma by cDNA microarray. Methods: The total RNAs of 6 glioblastoma specimens and 2 normal brain specimens obtained during operation were extracted with improved 1-step method. BioStarH140S microarray (including 8347 old genes and 5592 novel genes) was adopted and hybridized with probes for total RNAs. Differentially expressed genes between normal tissues and glioblastoma tissues were analyzed after scanning microarray with ScanArray4000. Bioinformatical method, classification preliminary and Northern hybridization were used to identify the function of these genes. Results: Among the 13939 target genes, there were 198 genes (including 55 novel genes) were differentially expressed, with 77(0.55%) of them significantly up-regulated and 121(0.87%) genes down-regulated. Bioinformatical analysis revealed that these genes were closely associated with cell signal transduction, cell metabolization, cytoskeleton & motility, immunity, oncogene and tumor suppressor, cell cycle and cell apoptosis. The results of Northern hybridization verified the data of microarray. Conclusion: cDNA microarray technology is a powerful technique in screening differentially expressed genes and analyzing these genes may help in understanding the molecular mechanism of glioblastoma and contribute to glioblastoma clinical diagnosis.