title: MicroSAGE is highly representative and reproducible but reveals major differences in gene expression among samples obtained from similar tissues.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Serial analysis of gene expression using small amounts of starting material (microSAGE) has not yet been conclusively shown to be representative, reproducible or accurate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We show that microSAGE is highly representative, reproducible and accurate, but that pronounced differences in gene expression are seen between tissue samples taken from different individuals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MicroSAGE is a reliable method of comprehensively profiling differences in gene expression among samples, but care should be taken in generalizing results obtained from libraries constructed from tissue obtained from different individuals and/or processed or stored differently.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Seth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blackshaw
authors.forename: Winston P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Motokazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsujikawa
authors.forename: Jenny M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gunnersen
authors.forename: Hamish S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Wee-Ming
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Boon
authors.forename: Seong-Seng
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Constance L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Cepko
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D039301:Computers, Molecular; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D015723:Gene Library; D018816:Genes, cdc; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000235:genetics; D012160:Retina / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012737:Sex Factors