Mining gene expression profiles: expression signatures as cancer phenotypes

Nat Rev Genet. 2007 Aug;8(8):601-9. doi: 10.1038/nrg2137. Epub 2007 Jul 3.

Abstract

Many examples highlight the power of gene expression profiles, or signatures, to inform an understanding of biological phenotypes. This is perhaps best seen in the context of cancer, where expression signatures have tremendous power to identify new subtypes and to predict clinical outcomes. Although the ability to interpret the meaning of the individual genes in these signatures remains a challenge, this does not diminish the power of the signature to characterize biological states. The use of these signatures as surrogate phenotypes has been particularly important, linking diverse experimental systems that dissect the complexity of biological systems with the in vivo setting in a way that was not previously feasible.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Chromosomal Instability
  • Data Interpretation, Statistical
  • Databases, Genetic
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / genetics
  • Gene Expression Profiling* / methods
  • Gene Expression Profiling* / statistics & numerical data
  • Gene Expression Profiling* / trends
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Phenotype