MATRIX ANALYSIS OF GENE EXPRESSION IN CELLS (MAGEC)

摘要

The invention provides a novel expression cloning technique referred to as a matrix analysis of gene expression in cells (MAGEC) that allows for the indexed introduction, and analysis of nucleic acids in a host cell. While normally one takes cells attached to a surface followed by contacting the cells with heterologous DNA under conditions favoring the uptake of the heterologous DNA, the present invention, in sharp contrasts, proposes affixing (depositing) a nucleic acid-containing mixture onto a suitable surface and thereafter contacting suitable host cells (target cells) with the DNA-containing markings under conditions favoring uptake by the cells of the heterologous expression vector comprising a the target nucleic acid molecule. The method enables one to further characterize the gene product(s) of a known gene and unknown in a high-throughput assay format. It essentially allows for the identification of a gene based upon the function of its gene product.