Apoptosis and Arrays: Identifying a Transcription Component of Programmed Cell Death

In order to identify a transcription component of programmed cell death (PCD), this review compiles and cross-compares genome-scale gene expression analyses of several models of apoptosis. Large-scale transcription profiling studies to date have utilized diverse technologies such as cDNA arrays and serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE). Despite the varying technology platforms, commonly regulated genes were identified and fell into three major categories those related to the regulation of cell cycle, inflammatory responses, and oxidative stress. The observation that common markers were regulated across different models of apoptosis demonstrates the utility of genome-scale gene expression analysis for cell death pathway mining.