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Examining Biological Variability: A Microarray Study.  A. L. Kuntz¹, M. L. Molas¹, and J. Z. Kiss^{1 1}Department of Botany, Miami University, Oxford, OH.

   Since the introduction of microarray technology to analyze gene expression, there have been concerns about the reproducibility of experimental results obtained using different microarray platforms.  Reproducibility for most platforms within any laboratory is typically good, but reproducibility between platforms and across laboratories is generally poor.  In addition, the variability of microarray results between laboratories is associated with their use of different protocols.  Thus, our experiment addressed this problem by using separately four different types of purification columns during the generation of an Arabidopsis cDNA sample. After column purification, the Agilent 2100 bioanalyzer and RNA 6000 LabChip  kit were implemented in order to assess the quality of the cDNA sample before its usual hybridization onto a microarray platform.  From the bioanalyzer electropherogram, biological variability was found in the single stranded cDNA population that resulted from the four different purification columns.  When different population of cDNA is hybridized to a microarray platform, varying gene expression results will be produced.  Ultimately, with carefully designed and controlled experiments using a standardized platform and protocol, microarray results can be better compared across multiple laboratories; it is essential to facilitate collaborative research efforts. 

(Supported by Miami University DUOS program and NASA grant NCC 2-1200)