Neural Crest-Melanocyte cDNA Based Microarray Analysis for Human Skin Pigmentation Research
Description of Invention:
Microarrays have wide applications in basic research and are used for the discovery of candidate genes as markers for disease and for therapeutic intervention. This invention pertains to the identification of a set of neural crest-melanocyte (NC-M) genes through microarray analysis and informatic analysis. Utilizing the extensive sequence information in the expressed sequence tag database (dbEST), the specific set of cDNA sequence was identified for microarray analysis of melanocyte function and diseases. This integrated technique of sequencing with bioinformatics led to the discovery of novel genes. The cDNA sequences selected in this invention are differently expressed in neural crest melanocyte derivates relative to non-neural derived samples. Given that many of the neural-crest melanocyte genes are expressed at embryonic stages of neural crest-melanocyte development, the gene set identified in this invention should provide a useful tool for the analysis of patterns of transcriptional regulation of NC-M development. Thus, this technology will be useful for the characterization of altered expression patterns in diseases such as melanoma. Further, this new microarray research tool has been developed using the set of genes that are likely to be involved in the control of human skin pigmentation. The microarray system utilizing these genes is of significant importance in identifying small molecules that may modulate their activity leading to alterations in human skin pigmentation. Therefore, this invention is significantly useful to the researchers to study alterations in human skin pigment amount and type.
Patent Status:
DHHS Reference No. E-014-2002/0 -- Research Tool
Licensing Status: Available for licensing under a Biological Materials License.
Portfolios: Internal Medicine Gene Based Therapies Central Nervous System
Central Nervous System -Research Materials-cDNA Clones and Probes Internal Medicine-Diagnostics-Skin Disorders Internal Medicine-Therapeutics-Skin Disorders Central Nervous System -Research Materials Gene Based Therapies -Diagnostics Internal Medicine-Diagnostics Internal Medicine-Therapeutics
For Additional Information Please Contact: Charlene A. Sydnor Ph.D.
NIH Office of Technology Transfer
6011 Executive Blvd, Suite 325
Rockville, MD 20852-3804
Phone: 301/435-4689
Email: sydnorc@mail.nih.gov
Fax: 301/402-0220
