Expression microarrays in equine sciences.

Microarrays have become an important research tool for life science researchers. Expression microarrays are capable of profiling the gene expression pattern of tens of thousands of genes in a single experiment. It appears to be the platform of choice for parallel gene expression profiling. Various equine-specific gene expression microarrays have been generated and used. However, homologous microarrays are not yet commercially available for the horse. An alternative is the use of heterologous microarrays, mainly microarrays specific for mice or humans. Although the use of microarrays in equine research is still in its infancy, gene expression microarrays have shown their potential in equine research. This review presents the previous, current and potential use of expression microarrays in equine research.