Development of cell model with specific functions and its application to the study of global gene expression

The use of in vitro cell culture models has been of central importance in the development of our understanding of the cellular and molecular biology of organs and tissues. Transgenic mice and rats harboring temperature-sensitive simian virus 40 large T-antigen genes are useful for establishing cell lines from organs and tissues that have proved difficult to culture in vitro. Many conditionally immortalized cell lines with normal specific functions were generated from transgenic animals. DNA microarray technology has broad applications and is directed toward the study of global gene expression. Using established cell lines and DNA microarrays, we identified many genes that were up- and down-regulated in the process of the cell differentiation or cell death. In this review, the characteristics of established cell lines and possible applications of the study of global gene expression are discussed.