Introduction to Microarray Experimentation and Analysis

Microarray experiments try to measure simultaneously the quantity of many specific messenger RNA (mRNA) sequences contained in a sample. These quantities are called gene expression . The sample mRNA can be extracted from human tissue, plant material, or even yeast. Because thousands of these sequences can be measured in a single experiment, scientists have a large window into the workings of a biological system. This is in contrast to use of more traditional approaches such as Northern blots, which limit research to one-gene-at-a-time experiments.