Expression profiling the Osteoprogenitor Lineage

University Of Connecticut Sch Of Med/Dnt, Farmington CT

Investigators

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): [unreadable] A multidisciplinary group of faculty have developed a strategy for microarray expression studies of cells at different levels of osteoblast differentiation. It is based on identification and isolation of cells within the lineage based on expression of promoter-GFP reporter transgenic constructs and the assembly of a gene collection optimized for the bone. The strategy is sufficiently developed to promulgate among the bone biology community in the format of a two-day workshop. The intent is to distribute a common set of reagents and analytical tools to optimize the interpretation of data obtained in different laboratories and eventually to encourage the development of working groups across laboratory barriers. Accepted participants will submit an RNA sample from their model system prior to the workshop on which we will perform a microarray study that will serve as the content to demonstrate how to extract the maximal amount of information in the data set and how to make that information available to a larger research community. Participants will also learn how to image GFP in living bone cell cultures and in histological sections of bone. This skill will lead to the isolation of GFP labeled cells by FACS and the interpretation of biological basis of a microarray study. The workshop will be hosted at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington (GFP instruction) and main campus at Storrs (microarray analysis). A total of 20 participants (2 per PI) will selected from 10 laboratories that are active in the bone biology field. The format will be individualized rather than didactic with a particular focus of demonstrating how the strategy can be applied to their model system. The program committee is composed of the individuals who have worked together for the past two years to produce this integrated approach to microarray and who have learned to communicate between our highly disparate academic backgrounds. This experience should be reflected in how the conference is perceived by the participants because each member of the teaching faculty have a solid understanding of the integrated program as well as their specific area of expertise [unreadable] [unreadable]