Method to identify the expression profile of antisense gene transcripts

描述（由申请人提供）：发现越来越多的真核基因具有天然存在的反义转录物。在人类中，反义转录物的数量估计至少为1,600个，有几个原因表明实际数量要高得多。反义基因转录物似乎以这样或那样的方式与其正义转录物的表达调控相关，并且它们与遗传印记和疾病有关。反义转录物的大多数知识来自表达的序列标签和全长转录物的计算机分析。一种便于直接实验分析反义核酸的方法将是非常有价值的。我们建议开发一种方法，用于识别和表达分析的反义转录本在一个高通量的方式在相同的方式，基因表达微阵列用于研究正常（正义）RNA的表达。事实上，我们的方法被设计用于识别反义转录本与目前可用的基因表达微阵列。我们设想将两种研究产品商业化。第一种是双重RNA扩增试剂盒，用于鉴定和研究天然存在的反义转录物，第二种是改进的常规RNA扩增试剂盒，用于研究有义转录物，这将使得能够对RNA经常降解的临床样品进行基因表达分析。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): An increasing number of eukaryotic genes are being found to have naturally occurring antisense transcripts. In humans the number of antisense transcripts is estimated to be at least 1,600 and there are several reasons to suggest that the actual number is very much higher. Antisense gene transcripts appear to be associated in one way or another with regulation of expression of their sense transcripts and they have been linked to genetic imprinting and disease. Most of the knowledge of antisense transcripts is derived from in silico analysis of expressed sequence tags and full length transcripts. A method to facilitate direct experimental analysis of antisense would be highly valuable. We propose to develop a method for identification and expression analysis of antisense transcripts in a high throughput manner in the same way as gene expression microarrays are used to study expression of normal (sense) RNA. In fact, our method is designed to identify antisense transcripts with currently available gene expression microarrays. We envision the commercialization of two research products. First a dual RNA amplification kit to identify and study naturally occurring antisense transcripts, and second an improved conventional RNA amplification kit to study sense transcripts which will enable the gene expression analysis of clinical samples from which the RNA is frequently degraded.