ABSTRACT
Protein microarrays are platforms for studying protein-protein interactions and identifying disease-related self-antigens/autoantigens, which elicit an immune response in a high-throughput format. Protein arrays have been extensively used over the past two decades for several clinical applications. By using this platform, serum containing autoantibodies against potential self-antigens can be screened on proteome-wide arrays, harboring a large repertoire of full-length human proteins. Identification of such autoantigens can help deducing early diagnostic, as well as, prognostic markers in case of malignancies, autoimmune disorders, and other systemic diseases. Here, we provide an overview of the protein microarray technology along with details of an established method to study autoantibody profiles from patient sera.
Subject(s)
Autoantibodies/blood , Autoantigens , Blood Proteins , Protein Array Analysis/methods , Proteome , Proteomics/methods , Autoantibodies/immunology , Autoantigens/immunology , Biomarkers/blood , Blood Proteins/immunology , Humans , Software , Statistics as TopicABSTRACT
The complexity involving protein array technology reflects in the fact that instrumentation and data analysis are subject to change depending on the biological question, technical compatibility of instruments and software used in each experiment. Industry has played a pivotal role in establishing standards for future deliberations in sustenance of these technologies in the form of protein array chips, arrayers, scanning devices, and data analysis software. This has enhanced the outreach of protein microarray technology to researchers across the globe. These have encouraged a surge in the adaptation of "nonclassical" approaches such as DNA-based protein arrays, micro-contact printing, label-free protein detection, and algorithms for data analysis. This review provides a unique overview of these industrial solutions available for protein microarray based studies. It aims at assessing the developments in various commercial platforms, thus providing a holistic overview of various modalities, options, and compatibility; summarizing the journey of this powerful high-throughput technology.
