Genome-scale assessment of molecular pathology in systemic autoimmune diseases using microarray technology: a potential breakthrough diagnostic and individualized therapy-design tool.
Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases are of complex aetiology, characterized by an intricate interplay of various factors. A myriad of genes lies behind the heterogeneous manifestations of these diseases, and the overexpression and repression of particular genes form a specific gene-expression profile (genetic fingerprints) that is characteristic to the given disease phenotype. Besides the description of various cell types by using gene-expression profiling, the data should be directly applicable to the design of individual therapeutic protocols for patients suffering from various autoimmune diseases. In this review, we summarize the gene-expression profile, various genetic signatures of different autoimmune diseases and give an overview on the possible interpretations of the data. The application of recent breakthroughs in high-throughput molecular profiling technologies, such as microarray technology has been the basis for a revolution in biomedical research, as well as diagnostics and pharmaceutical development. It is easy to envision a day when personalized medicine, which is the diagnosis and treatment of a given patient with agents and procedures tailored to that patient's genetics, physiology and pathology, will become the standard of care.
Centola
M
M
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Arthritis and Immunology Program, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Frank
M B
MB
Bolstad
A I
AI
Alex
P
P
Szanto
A
A
Zeher
M
M
Hjelmervik
T O
TO
Jonsson
R
R
Nakken
B
B
Szegedi
G
G
Szodoray
P
P
D000818:Animals; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D032342:Muscle Cells / Q000276:immunology; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics