title: Stripping custom microRNA microarrays and the lessons learned about probe-slide interactions.
abstract: Microarrays have been used extensively in gene expression profiling and genotyping studies. To reduce the high cost and enhance the consistency of microarray experiments, it is often desirable to strip and reuse microarray slides. Our genome-wide analysis of microRNA expression involves the hybridization of fluorescently labeled nucleic acids to custom-made, spotted DNA microarrays based on GAPSII-coated slides. We describe here a simple and effective method to regenerate such custom microarrays that uses a very low-salt buffer to remove labeled nucleic acids from microarrays. Slides can be stripped and reused multiple times without significantly compromising data quality. Moreover, our analyses of the performance of regenerated slides identifies parameters that influence the attachment of oligonucleotide probes to GAPSII slides, shedding light on the interactions between DNA and the microarray surface and suggesting ways in which to improve the design of oligonucleotide probes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, 6-120 Jackson Hall, 321 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaoxiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jiankang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization / Q000379:methods; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs