title: The physiological way: monitoring RNA expression changes as new approach to combat illegal growth promoter application.
abstract: The use of growth-promoting agents in food-producing animals is forbidden in the European Union (EU). Therefore a strict control programme has been developed, detecting residues of all known growth-promoting agents using chromatographical methods in combination with mass spectrometry or immunoassays. New designed xenobiotic substances or hormone cocktails are difficult to identify with these methods and therefore the development of new sensitive test methods is important. A promising indirect approach is the detection of physiological effects of the administered growth promoters on the molecular level using 'omic' technologies. The analysis of the transcriptome on mRNA and miRNA level and thereby identifying biomarkers for the use of anabolic agents is one possible strategy for developing a new screening method. This paper describes the technologies available for gene expression profiling and summarizes the efforts made in the analysis of the transcriptome in order to identify potential gene expression biomarkers for the use of growth promoters in cattle.
authors.affiliation: Physiology Weihenstephan, and ZIEL Research Center for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Technische University Munich, Weihenstephaner Berg 3, 85354, Freising, Germany. irmgard.riedmaier@wzw.tum.de
authors.forename: Irmgard
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Riedmaier
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Pfaffl
authors.forename: Heinrich H D
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Meyer
mesh_terms: D045930:Anabolic Agents / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods* / Q000662:veterinary*; D006728:Hormones / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics*; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D045930:Anabolic Agents; D006728:Hormones; D012313:RNA