Gene profiling of laser-microdissected brain regions and individual cells in drug abuse and schizophrenia research

Methods Mol Biol. 2012:829:541-50. doi: 10.1007/978-1-61779-458-2_34.

Abstract

Application of transcriptomics approaches to accurately dissected anatomically defined brain regions and individual neuronal populations remains a central focus of current neurobiological investigations. A vast selection of methods and commercial products are currently available that allow one to implement routine gene quantitation and profiling from laser-microdissected brain regions, subregions, and neuronal populations. The present chapter reviews laser microdissection strategies for gene expression analyses, strategies for RNA extraction, reverse transcriptase-coupled PCR (RT-PCR), and target preparation for microarray analyses that are in use in our labs.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Brain / cytology*
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Brain / physiology
  • Gene Expression Profiling / methods
  • Lasers
  • Mice
  • MicroRNAs / analysis
  • Microdissection / methods*
  • RNA, Messenger / analysis
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • Schizophrenia / genetics*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Substance-Related Disorders / genetics*
  • Transcriptome

Substances

  • MicroRNAs
  • RNA, Messenger