EVALUATION OF THE PERFORMANCE OF DIFFERENT PLASTICS USED TO SEAL NYLON cDNA ARRAYS

Autor(es)

da Costa Netto, Antonio Paulino ; Drummond, Rodrigo Duarte ; Felix, Juliana de Maria ; Jorge, Renato Atilio ; Menossi, Marcelo

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Ciência e Agrotecnologia; v. 33, p. 5-pg., 2009-01-01.

Resumo

cDNA arrays are a powerful tool for discovering gene expression patterns. Nylon arrays have the advantage that they can be re-used several times. A key issue in high throughput gene expression analysis is sensitivity. In the case of nylon arrays, signal detection can be affected by the plastic bags used to keep membranes humid. In this study, we evaluated the effect of five types of plastics on the radioactive transmittance, number of genes with a signal above the background, and data variability. A polyethylene plastic bag 69 m thick had a strong shielding effect that blocked 68.7% of the radioactive signal. The shielding effect on transmittance decreased the number of detected genes and increased the data variability. Other plastics which were thinner gave better results. Although plastics made from polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl chloride (both 13 m thick) and polyethylene (29 and 7 m thick) showed different levels of transmittance, they all gave similarly good performances. Polyvinylidene chloride and polyethylene 29 mm thick were the plastics of choice because of their easy handling. For other types of plastics, it is advisable to run a simple check on their performance in order to obtain the maximum information from nylon cDNA arrays. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 00/07433-0 - Sugarcane genes involved in aluminum tolerance
• Beneficiário: Marcelo Menossi Teixeira
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa GENOMA