SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “expression profiling”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 631 records · Page 35Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

Expression profiling using a hexamer-based universal microarray.

We describe a transcriptional analysis platform consisting of a universal micro-array system (UMAS) combined with an enzymatic manipulation step that is capable of generating expression profiles from any organism without requiring a priori species-specific knowledge of transcript sequences. The transcriptome is converted to cDNA and processed with restriction endonucleases to generate low-complexity pools (approximately 80-120) of equal length DNA fragments. The resulting material is amplified and detected with the UMAS system, comprising all possible 4,096 (4(6)) DNA hexamers. Ligation to the arrays yields thousands of 14-mer sequence tags. The compendium of signals from all pools in the array-of-universal arrays comprises a full-transcriptome expression profile. The technology was validated by analysis of the galactose response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and the resulting profiles showed excellent agreement with the literature and real-time PCR assays. The technology was also used to demonstrate expression profiling from a hybrid organism in a proof-of-concept experiment where a T-cell receptor gene was expressed in yeast.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

PubMed2000

Uncovering functionally relevant signaling pathways using microarray-based expression profiling.

The introduction of microarray technology to the scientific and medical communities has fundamentally altered the way in which we now address basic biomedical questions. Microarrays technology facilitates a more complete and inclusive experimental approach where alterations in the transcript level of entire genomes can be simultaneously assayed in response to a variety of stimuli. Conceptually different approaches to the development of microarray technology have resulted in the generation of two different array formats: oligonucleotide arrays and cDNA arrays. The application of microarray and related technologies to identify specific targets of defined genes that have clearly been implicated in cancer progression requires a specific experimental approach. The objective of this approach is to define changes in transcriptional profile that occur in response to modulating the expression level of the gene to be studied. The resulting altered expression profile can then be viewed as a blueprint by which that gene effects its cellular function. We have used oligonucleotide array-based expression profiling in collaboration with Affymetrix to identify downstream transcriptional targets of the BRCA1 tumor-suppressor gene as a means of defining its function. BRCA1 has been implicated in at least three functional pathways, namely, mediating the cellular response to DNA damage, as a cell cycle checkpoint protein and in the regulation of transcription. The physiological significance of these properties and their implications for the function of BRCA1 as a tumor-suppressor gene remain to be defined.

DNA, Complementary↗

PubMed2005

Classification of human tumors using gene expression profiles obtained after microarray analysis of fine-needle aspiration biopsy samples.

BACKGROUND: Gene expression profiling using gene-discovery, high-density microarray technologies is a powerful tool. One potential application is the development of tumor classifiers that predict the site of origin. For this technology to be relevant, however, it must be applicable to tumor biopsy samples, which most often are fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) samples. METHODS: Surgically resected tumors were sampled by FNAB using different gauge needles. A portion of the excised tumor was also collected. RNA samples were extracted using standard techniques and the quality and quantity of the RNA samples were measured for each sample. Thirteen representative FNAB samples and two representative tissue samples were submitted for microarray analysis and then subjected to a tumor classifier. RESULTS: Fourteen of 18 samples analyzed for quantity and quality of RNA yielded an adequate amount of RNA (> 1 microg total RNA). Tumor type contributed to the RNA yield because one of the four inadequate samples was retrieved from a patient with lobular carcinoma of the breast and the other three samples were retrieved from patients with retroperitoneal sarcomas. Of the 13 samples submitted for microarray analysis, 9 were classified correctly as to tumor type using a tissue-based tumor classifier. CONCLUSIONS: The authors demonstrated that FNABs reproducibly obtained an adequate amount of RNA for microarray analysis when a standardized collection procedure was used. Furthermore, the samples generated interpretable gene expression profiles that could be matched accurately with a tumor classifier established on tissue specimens. The current study showed that FNAB produced adequate material for microarray analysis when utilizing a standardized collection procedure.

Biopsy, Fine-Needle↗

PubMed2003

Characteristic expression profiles induced by genotoxic carcinogens in rat liver.

When applied in toxicological studies, the recently developed gene expression profiling techniques using microarrays, which brought forth the new field of toxicogenomics, facilitate the interpretation of a toxic compound's mechanism of action. In this study, we investigated whether genotoxic carcinogens at doses known to induce liver tumors in the 2-year rat bioassay deregulate a common set of genes in a short-term in vivo study and, if so, whether these deregulated genes represent defined biological pathways. Rats were dosed with the four genotoxic hepatocarcinogens dimethylnitrosamine (4 mg/kg/day), 2-nitrofluorene (44 mg/kg/day), aflatoxin B1 (0.24 mg/kg/day), and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK, 20 mg/kg/day). After treatment for up to 14 days, the expression profiles of the livers were analyzed on Affymetrix RG_U34A microarrays. Among the significantly upregulated genes were a set of target genes of the tumor suppressor protein p53, indicating a DNA damage response. Such a response was expected and, therefore, confirmed the validity of our approach. In addition, the gene expression changes suggest a specific detoxification response, the activation of proliferative and survival signaling pathways, and some cell structural changes. These responses were strong throughout the 14 day time course for 2-nitrofluorene and aflatoxin B1; in the case of dimethylnitrosamine and NNK, the effects were weakly detectable at day 1 and then increased with time. For dimethylnitrosamine and aflatoxin B1, which caused observable inflammation in vivo, we found a corresponding upregulation of inflammatory genes at the same time points. Thus, by the toxicogenomic analysis of short-term in vivo studies, we identified genes and pathways commonly deregulated by genotoxic carcinogens, which may be indicative for the early events in tumorigenesis and, thus, predictive of later tumor development.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Gene expression profiling reveals novel targets of estramustine phosphate in prostate cancer cells.

Estramustine phosphate (EMP) is a compound widely used for the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer. In order to better understand the precise molecular mechanism(s) by which EMP exerts its effects on hormone-resistant PC3 prostate cancer cells, we have utilized microarray to interrogate 22,215 known genes to determine the gene expression profiles altered by EMP treatment. The purpose of this investigation was to identify gene expression profile first and then in future studies determine the specific role of these genes in EMP-induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. We found a total of 726 genes which showed >2 fold change after EMP treatment. Clustering analysis showed 12 different types of expression alteration. These genes were also subjected to cluster analysis according to their biological functions. We found that EMP regulated the expression of genes, which are critically involved in the regulation of cell growth, cell cycle, apoptosis, iron homeostasis, cytoskeleton and cell signaling transduction. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis was used to confirm the results of microarray, and the results of real-time quantitative RT-PCR were consistent with the microarray data. From these results, we conclude that EMP caused changes in the expression of a large number of genes that are related to the control of cell survival and physiological behaviors. The gene expression profiles may provide comprehensive molecular mechanism(s) by which EMP exerts its pleiotropic effects on prostate cancer cells. EMP-induced regulation of these genes may be further exploited for devising therapeutic strategies for prostate cancer.

Estramustine↗

PubMed2000

Novel strategies for therapeutic design in molecular oncology using gene expression profiles.

The sequence of the human genome is estimated to be available by the end of the year 2000 [1]. Pursuant to deciphering the genomic code, and the identification of the estimated 40,000 to 100,000 human genes, anticipated technological advances will make possible examination of global gene expression profiles. Despite the current inaccessibility to the entire genome, many fruitful gene expression profiling studies have been performed using less than 10% of the predicted suite of genes in human or mouse genomes. Even within the confines of this limited set of genes, many insights and discoveries have resulted and their applications to cancer research are particularly profound. This review will focus on recent applications of gene expression profiling that have benefited three major areas of research in molecular oncology: (i) discovery--applications which have found novel genes, families of genes, or pathways involved in cell growth deregulation and tumor development; (ii) diagnosis--applications that have refined, and in some cases, defined, diagnostic methodology; and (iii) therapeutic design--applications which hold potential for chemotherapeutic drug discovery.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Distinction in gene expression profiles of oligodendrogliomas with and without allelic loss of 1p.

Oligodendrogliomas frequently, but not always show sensitivity to chemotherapy and recent studies demonstrated that allelic loss of chromosome 1p is highly associated with this chemosensitivity. To gain insight into the molecular mechanism of such difference, we examined comprehensive gene expression profiles of 11 oligodendroglial tumors, six with and five without 1pLOH (loss of heterozygosity), and two normal brain tissues using the oligonucleotide microarray (GeneChip). Statistically significant numbers of genes were expressed differentially between the two genetic subsets. Clustering analysis separated the tumor subsets well. The tumors with 1pLOH had similar expression profiles to the normal brain for those differentially expressed genes. Many genes showing higher expression in tumors with 1pLOH were presumed to have functions in nervous tissues. Notably, the majority of the 123 genes showing significant expression reduction in tumors with 1pLOH were either on chromosome 1 (50%) or on 19 (10%), and the average expression reduction ratio was about 50% (0.54+/-0.13) possibly reflecting the chromosomal deletion. Thus, the biological difference between the genetic subsets of oligodendroglioma was indeed reflected to gene expression profile, which provided baseline information for further studies to elucidate the mechanism of chemosensitivity in gliomas.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Gene-expression profiles in hereditary breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Many cases of hereditary breast cancer are due to mutations in either the BRCA1 or the BRCA2 gene. The histopathological changes in these cancers are often characteristic of the mutant gene. We hypothesized that the genes expressed by these two types of tumors are also distinctive, perhaps allowing us to identify cases of hereditary breast cancer on the basis of gene-expression profiles. METHODS: RNA from samples of primary tumor from seven carriers of the BRCA1 mutation, seven carriers of the BRCA2 mutation, and seven patients with sporadic cases of breast cancer was compared with a microarray of 6512 complementary DNA clones of 5361 genes. Statistical analyses were used to identify a set of genes that could distinguish the BRCA1 genotype from the BRCA2 genotype. RESULTS: Permutation analysis of multivariate classification functions established that the gene-expression profiles of tumors with BRCA1 mutations, tumors with BRCA2 mutations, and sporadic tumors differed significantly from each other. An analysis of variance between the levels of gene expression and the genotype of the samples identified 176 genes that were differentially expressed in tumors with BRCA1 mutations and tumors with BRCA2 mutations. Given the known properties of some of the genes in this panel, our findings indicate that there are functional differences between breast tumors with BRCA1 mutations and those with BRCA2 mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Significantly different groups of genes are expressed by breast cancers with BRCA1 mutations and breast cancers with BRCA2 mutations. Our results suggest that a heritable mutation influences the gene-expression profile of the cancer.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

Microarray gene expression profiling of cell lines from primary and metastatic tongue squamous cell carcinoma: possible insights from emerging technology.

BACKGROUND: To identify common gene expression patterns among two uniquely matched pairs of primary and metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell lines derived from the same two patient donors. METHODS: Two pairs of cell lines derived from the primary tumors and lymph node metastases of the same two patients were used to obtain microarray-based gene expression profiles. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were used to confirm observed changes for some of the candidate genes. RESULTS: Approximately 50% of the genes profiled were expressed in all four cell lines. Cluster analysis identified a group of 17 genes whose expression correlated inversely with metastatic progression. Only 10 common genes were differentially expressed in both pairs of primary and metastatic cells. A group of 28 highly expressed genes was common for both metastatic cell lines, among them some of the known metastasis-related genes such as laminin receptor, thymosin beta-4 and beta-10 and metallopanstimulin. CONCLUSIONS: Groups of presumed metastasis-related genes are highly heterogeneous and vary significantly between the two patients. Thus, it is unlikely that the metastatic phenotype of these OSCC cells is acquired by de-regulation of a single gene or a group of few genes. Most likely, multiple combinations of differentially expressed genes are involved in facilitating metastatic spread of these oral carcinoma cell lines.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

PubMed2006

Specific gene-expression profiles of noncancerous liver tissue predict the risk for multicentric occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma in hepatitis C virus-positive patients.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection produces chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and, ultimately, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A molecular analysis of the damaged liver tissues infected with HCV may identify specific gene-expression profiles associated with a risk for liver carcinogenesis. METHODS: Forty patients with HCV-positive HCC were classified into two groups: single nodular HCC group (n = 28) and multicentric HCC group (n = 12). Using a complementary DNA microarray, we compared the gene-expression patterns of the noncancerous liver tissue specimens between the two groups. We also identified the differentially expressed genes related to multicentric recurrence in the liver remnant. We then evaluated whether a specific gene-expression profile can accurately estimate the risk for multicentric hepatocarcinogenesis. RESULTS: We selected the 230 differentially expressed genes in the multicentric HCC group. A hierarchical clustering analysis identified a cluster that might be closely associated with the multicentric occurrence of HCC. On the basis of the gene-expression profiling of the 36 genes commonly associated with both multicentric HCC and multicentric recurrence, we created a scoring system to estimate the risk for multicentric hepatocarcinogenesis. The prediction score of patients in the multicentric HCC group with multicentric recurrence (19.9 +/- 9.2) was significantly higher (P < .05) than that in the single nodular HCC group without multicentric recurrence (-1.8 +/- 12.7). CONCLUSIONS: Specific gene-expression signatures in noncancerous liver tissue may help to accurately predict the risk for developing HCC.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Gene expression profile of aging in human muscle.

Studies of gene expression related to aging of skeletal muscle have included few subjects or a limited number of genes. We conducted the present study to produce more comprehensive gene expression profiles. RNA was extracted from vastus lateralis biopsies obtained from healthy young (21-27 yr old, n = 8) and older men (67-75 yr old, n = 8) and was analyzed with high-density oligonucleotide arrays. Of the approximately 44,000 probe sets on the arrays, approximately 18,000 yielded adequate signals for statistical analysis. There were approximately 700 probe sets for which t-tests or rank sum tests indicated a difference (P <or= 0.01) in mean expression between young and old and for which the estimated false discovery rate was <10%. Most of these differences were less than 1.5-fold in magnitude. Genes that encode proteins involved in energy metabolism and mitochondrial protein synthesis were expressed at a lower level in older muscle. Genes encoding metallothioneins, high-mobility-group proteins, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins and other RNA binding/processing proteins, and components of the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway were expressed at higher levels in older muscle. Expression of numerous genes involved with stress responses, hormone/cytokine/growth factor signaling, control of the cell cycle and apoptosis, and transcriptional regulation appeared to be affected by aging. More transcripts were detected in older muscle, suggesting dedifferentiation, an increased number of splice variants, or increased cellular heterogeneity. We conclude that in human skeletal muscle the expression of many genes tends to increase or decrease between the third and seventh decades. The changes are modest when averaged over all of the cells in the tissue.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Exploring hepatic hormone actions using a compilation of gene expression profiles.

BACKGROUND: Microarray analysis is attractive within the field of endocrine research because regulation of gene expression is a key mechanism whereby hormones exert their actions. Knowledge discovery and testing of hypothesis based on information-rich expression profiles promise to accelerate discovery of physiologically relevant hormonal mechanisms of action. However, most studies so-far concentrate on the analysis of actions of single hormones and few examples exist that attempt to use compilation of different hormone-regulated expression profiles to gain insight into how hormone act to regulate tissue physiology. This report illustrates how a meta-analysis of multiple transcript profiles obtained from a single tissue, the liver, can be used to evaluate relevant hypothesis and discover novel mechanisms of hormonal action. We have evaluated the differential effects of Growth Hormone (GH) and estrogen in the regulation of hepatic gender differentiated gene expression as well as the involvement of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) in the hepatic actions of GH and thyroid hormone. RESULTS: Little similarity exists between liver transcript profiles regulated by 17-alpha-ethinylestradiol and those induced by the continuos infusion of bGH. On the other hand, strong correlations were found between both profiles and the female enriched transcript profile. Therefore, estrogens have feminizing effects in male rat liver which are different from those induced by GH. The similarity between bGH and T3 were limited to a small group of genes, most of which are involved in lipogenesis. An in silico promoter analysis of genes rapidly regulated by thyroid hormone predicted the activation of SREBPs by short-term treatment in vivo. It was further demonstrated that proteolytic processing of SREBP1 in the endoplasmic reticulum might contribute to the rapid actions of T3 on these genes. CONCLUSION: This report illustrates how a meta-analysis of multiple transcript profiles can be used to link knowledge concerning endocrine physiology to hormonally induced changes in gene expression. We conclude that both GH and estrogen are important determinants of gender-related differences in hepatic gene expression. Rapid hepatic thyroid hormone effects affect genes involved in lipogenesis possibly through the induction of SREBP1 proteolytic processing.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Gene expression profiling reveals the mechanism of action of anticonvulsant drug QYS.

We have examined the gene expression profiling of inferior colliculus from DBA/2J mice with high-intensity noise induced audiogenic seizure (AGS). We have also tested the effects of Qingyangshenylycosides (QYS), a traditional Chinese medicine, on the audiogenic seizure, and examined how the drug affected the gene expressions in inferior colliculus. Our results demonstrated that the latency was increased and the Tonus% of AGS was decreased in the animals treated with QYS, indicating that the drug effectively prevented audiogenic seizure. Gene expression analysis using Agilent oligo microarray showed that total of 134 genes were either up- or down-regulated during AGS. QYS prevented many of the AGS induced gene expression changes. Nevertheless, some of the AGS induced genes were further enhanced or reversed by QYS treatment. Our gene expression profiling data provided important information regarding the molecular mechanisms of AGS and the mechanism of action of QYS. Further analysis of the function of these genes may help to identify therapeutic targets for epilepsy.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Selection of suitable reference genes for accurate normalization of gene expression profile studies in non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: In real-time RT quantitative PCR (qPCR) the accuracy of normalized data is highly dependent on the reliability of the reference genes (RGs). Failure to use an appropriate control gene for normalization of qPCR data may result in biased gene expression profiles, as well as low precision, so that only gross changes in expression level are declared statistically significant or patterns of expression are erroneously characterized. Therefore, it is essential to determine whether potential RGs are appropriate for specific experimental purposes. Aim of this study was to identify and validate RGs for use in the differentiation of normal and tumor lung expression profiles. METHODS: A meta-analysis of lung cancer transcription profiles generated with the GeneChip technology was used to identify five putative RGs. Their consistency and that of seven commonly used RGs was tested by using Taqman probes on 18 paired normal-tumor lung snap-frozen specimens obtained from non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients during primary curative resection. RESULTS: The 12 RGs displayed showed a wide range of Ct values: except for rRNA18S (mean 9.8), the mean values of all the commercial RGs and ESD ranged from 19 to 26, whereas those of the microarray-selected RGs (BTF-3, YAP1, HIST1H2BC, RPL30) exceeded 26. RG expression stability within sample populations and under the experimental conditions (tumour versus normal lung specimens) was evaluated by: (1) descriptive statistic; (2) equivalence test; (3) GeNorm applet. All these approaches indicated that the most stable RGs were POLR2A, rRNA18S, YAP1 and ESD. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that POLR2A, rRNA18S, YAP1 and ESD are the most suitable RGs for gene expression profile studies in NSCLC. Furthermore, they highlight the limitations of commercial RGs and indicate that meta-data analysis of genome-wide transcription profiling studies may identify new RGs.

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung↗

PubMed2004

Gene expression profiles for detecting and distinguishing potential endocrine-disrupting compounds in environmental samples.

Industrial and municipal processes may produce and release endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) into the environment, but the exact nature of their effects is difficult to investigate. EDCs typically exert their effect by affecting gene expression aberrantly. To determine if gene expression profiles could be used to detect and distinguish estrogenic EDCs, an estrogen receptor positive human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) was exposed to known estrogenic compounds, suspected EDCs, and extracts from three effluent samples. A set of specifically estrogen-regulated genes was identified by microarray analysis. Nine estrogen up-regulated genes (IGFBP4, HSPA8, B4GALT1, XBP1, KRT8, GTPBP4, HNRPAB, SLC2A1, and CALM1) and two estrogen down-regulated genes (ID2 and ZNF217) were consistently detectable in response to estrogen and other estrogenic compounds. Gene expression patterns in cells that were exposed to effluent sample extracts were compared to gene expression patterns in cells that were exposed to known endocrines. Using this technique, two of the effluent samples were shown to have estrogenic activity. This approach could easily be extended to screen for other types of receptor-mediated endocrine disruption. For example, cells expressing androgen or aryl hydrocarbon receptors could be used in gene expression profiling assays to detect androgenic effects or for the presence of bioactive aromatic hydrocarbons. Gene expression profiling is emerging as a sensitive and specific method to screen complex samples for endocrine disrupting activity.

Androgens↗

PubMed2005

Comparison of the gene expression profile of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cell lines and differentiating embryoid bodies.

BACKGROUND: The identification of molecular pathways of differentiation of embryonic stem cells (hESC) is critical for the development of stem cell based medical therapies. In order to identify biomarkers and potential regulators of the process of differentiation, a high quality microarray containing 16,659 seventy base pair oligonucleotides was used to compare gene expression profiles of undifferentiated hESC lines and differentiating embryoid bodies. RESULTS: Previously identified "stemness" genes in undifferentiated hESC lines showed down modulation in differentiated cells while expression of several genes was induced as cells differentiated. In addition, a subset of 194 genes showed overexpression of greater than > or = 3 folds in human embryoid bodies (hEB). These included 37 novel and 157 known genes. Gene expression was validated by a variety of techniques including another large scale array, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, focused cDNA microarrays, massively parallel signature sequencing (MPSS) analysis and immunocytochemisty. Several novel hEB specific expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were mapped to the human genome database and their expression profile characterized. A hierarchical clustering analysis clearly depicted a distinct difference in gene expression profile among undifferentiated and differentiated hESC and confirmed that microarray analysis could readily distinguish them. CONCLUSION: These results present a detailed characterization of a unique set of genes, which can be used to assess the hESC differentiation.

Biomarkers↗

PubMed1999

Representative cDNA libraries and their utility in gene expression profiling.

An increasing interest in gene expression profiles in human diseases has led to the use of microdissected tumors and biopsies in gene discovery approaches. Since many of these clinical samples yield extremely small amounts of RNA, reproducible methods are needed to amplify this RNA while maintaining the original message profile. Using the SMART cDNA Synthesis Method, we show that high-, medium- and low-abundance transcripts can be amplified in a representative fashion and that the resulting cDNA can also be used as a complex probe to confirm gene expression differences identified by other techniques.

DNA, Complementary↗

PubMed2001

Gene expression profiles of pancreatic cancer and stromal desmoplasia.

Gene expression studies were undertaken in normal pancreas and pancreatic adenocarcinomas to determine new candidate genes that can potentially be used as markers of the disease. The characteristic desmoplastic stromal reaction of pancreatic adenocarcinoma greatly hampers expression studies in this tumour type, and usually necessitates time-consuming tissue microdissection for enrichment of the tumour cell population. We show that fine needle aspiration of cancer provides a fast and efficient way of obtaining samples highly enriched in tumour cells with sufficient yields of RNA. Using Atlas cancer cDNA arrays with 588 cancer-related genes, we describe gene expression profiles of normal pancreas, bulk pancreatic tumour tissues and pancreatic tumour aspirates containing more than 95% tumour cells. Analysis of bulk tissue specimens revealed differentially expressed genes belonging predominantly to the stromal component of the tumour. This contrasted with the results obtained from tumour-cell enriched samples. Several genes already described in pancreatic cancer (caspase 8, TIMP1, CD9, IL-13) were also differentially expressed in our study. Furthermore, we found dysregulated expression of genes not previously associated with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, such as Rac 1, GLG1, NEDD5, RPL-13a, RPS9 and members of the Wnt5A gene family. In summary, we present a panel of genes newly identified in the pathogenesis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and demonstrate that fine needle aspirates of the tumour mass are a convenient source of material for gene expression studies in tumours accompanied by desmoplastic reactions.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗