Objective: To investigate differential gene expression in apoptotic cells induced by As(2)O(3), and identify novel apoptosis-related genes.
Method: Apoptosis of K562 cells cultured in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10 % calf serum was induced by As(2)O(3). Total RNA of the apoptotic and normal cells were then extracted, purified and subject to reverse transcription into first-strand cDNA, labeled with Cy3/Cy5. Placenta DNA microarrays containing 348 DNA fragments were used to analyze the changes in gene expressions in the cells treated with As(2)O(3).
Result: Eleven differentially expressed genes were identified in the apoptotic cells in comparison with the normal cells, 3 of which were associated with apoptosis, while the others were related to cell growth and proliferation.
Conclusion: The placenta DNA microarrays we constructed may well apply to the analysis of the differentially expressed genes.