title: Array rank order regression analysis for the detection of gene copy-number changes in human cancer.
abstract: cDNA microarray technology has been applied to the detection of DNA copy-number changes in malignant tumors. Test and control genomic DNA samples are differentially labeled and cohybridized to a spotted cDNA microarray. The ratio of test to control fluorescence intensities for each spot reflects relative gene copy number. The low signal-to-noise ratios of this assay and the variable levels of gene amplification and deletion among tumors hamper the detection of deviations from the diploid complement. We describe a regression-based statistical method to test for altered copy number on each gene and apply the technique to copy-number profiles in 10 thyroid tumors. We show that a novel transformation of fluorescence ratios into array rank order efficiently normalizes the heterogeneity among copy-number profiles and improves the reproducibility of the results. Array rank order regression analysis enhances the detection of consistent changes in gene copy number in solid tumors by cDNA microarray-based comparative genome hybridization.
authors.affiliation: Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kimmel
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Neiman
authors.forename: Lue Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D005453:Fluorescence; D018628:Gene Dosage; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric