基因芯片技术在免疫学研究中的应用及其对中医药研究的启发

Application of DNA microarray technology in immunological research and its inspiration to researches on traditional Chinese medicine

基因芯片技术是一种高通量的研究手段 ,可以在同一时刻对成千上万个基因的表达情况进行分析 ,形成完整的细胞基因表达谱。目前该技术已应用于免疫学研究中 ,如免疫细胞发育、成熟、活化、分化及其免疫应答的调控机制 ,变态反应的分子基础 ,疾病的临床表型和基因表达谱的关系 ,免疫药理学等 ,加深了人们对免疫系统的认识。同样 ,它也将有助于中医药对免疫细胞和免疫应答的调控机制研究、中医药治疗变态反应性疾病机制的研究、中医辨证的标准化以及中药药理研究等。基因芯片实验结果的数据分析一是比较不同种类样本基因表达量的差异 ,二是为了获得特征性的基因表达谱 ,但关于样本量的多少、统计方法的使用尚没有统一的认识 。

DNA microarray technology is a high througho ut method that can analyze the expression of thousands of genes at the same time t o form a complete cellular gene expression profile. It has been applied in immun ological researches such as the development, maturation, activation and differen tiation of immune cells, the regulation of immune responses, the molecular mecha nism of allergy, the relation between phenotype and gene expression, and immunol ogical pharmacology, etc. It has deepened our perception of the immune system. I t will as well be helpful in the research of the regulative mechanism of traditi onal Chinese medicine (TCM) toward immune cells and immune responses, the therap eutic mechanisms of TCM toward allergy, the standardization of differentiation o f syndrome and herbal pharmacology, etc. The data analysis of the results of DNA microarray experiments is aimed to compare the difference of gene expression le vels of different samples and obtain diagnostic gene expression profiles. But th ere are controversies about the number of samples and choices of statistical met hods. Researchers are striving in setting standards of DNA microarray experiment s.