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Abstract
Analysis of gene expression has become one of the most widely used techniques in biomedical research. The publication of the human genome, together with the technical ability to automatically detect and process very large numbers of samples, has forced many research groups in academia and industry to shift to the complex and demanding study of genome-wide gene expression. DNA microarrays or ‘gene chips’, have become one of the most popular techniques for this purpose but their use is limited by technical deficiencies and the fact that prior knowledge on the genome of interest is a prerequisite. During the last few years, several approaches have been developed that overcome many of the limitations of DNA microarrays, while yielding greater sensitivity and a greater dynamic range in the absence of prior genomic knowledge. This review is an overview of selected high-throughput methods that provide a viable alternative to the use of DNA microarrays for analysing gene expression. It is a companion paper to one specifically on DNA microarrays, recently published in this journal by the same authors.