Synopsis
Use of laser microdissection has grown enormously to become a very powerful high-throughput technology essential to a range of downstream applications in pathology, cancer research, life sciences, medical diagnostics, and biotechnology. In Laser Capture Microdissection, expert laboratory researchers noted for their optimized methods describe in step-by-step detail not only how to successfully carry out tissue-based laser microdissection in their own laboratories using the different systems available, but also how to apply a wide range of sophisticated molecular technologies to the microdissected tissue samples. These readily reproducible methods make it possible to carry out contamination-free molecular analyses of specific types of normal and diseased cells. Highlights include gene expression profiling of primary tumor cell populations, RNA transcript amplification and GeneChip® microarrays, colorectal cancer proteomics, and proteomic analysis of human bladder tissue using the SELDI® approach. Applications of the microdissected tissue described encompass PCR, gene expression studies including microarray analysis, and proteomics. The protocols follow the successful Methods in Molecular Biology™ series format, each offering step-by-step laboratory instructions, an introduction outlining the principle behind the technique, lists of the necessary equipment and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.
Comprehensive and state-of-the-art, Laser Capture Microdissection provides a highly practical guide to successful tissue-based laser microdissection using available commercial systems and to the interpretation of the results using a wide range of sophisticated molecular technologies.
Doody Review Services
Reviewer: Mirna Lechpammer, MD, Ph.D. (Rhode Island Hospital)
Description: This book offers a comprehensive overview of current applications of laser microdissected tissue ranging from DNA and RNA analysis to applications in proteomics and molecular analysis of microorganisms.
Purpose: The book is conceptualized to provide readers with practical guidance on how to successfully use the available laser capture microdissection (LCM) systems in their own laboratories and how best to apply a wide range of molecular technologies. The editors have thus addressed a growing need for a comprehensive set of protocols, providing a valuable tool for wide range of researchers.
Audience: Due to its unique concept, covering methods applied from basic histology and cancer research to microbiology, this book is an equally useful guide for undergraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research scientists in academia and industry likewise.
Features: The editors have gathered an impressive international panel of contributors to cover a variety of applications of laser microdissected tissue including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in its many different forms and gene expression analysis involving microarrays and proteomics. The individual chapters encompass detailed descriptions of several currently available LCM systems. However, the authors do not provide critical comparison of these systems, but rather provide practical guidance on each of them to meet individual needs of prospective readers. The chapters thus contain complete protocols on tissue preparation and DNA and/or RNA analysis, and are adequately illustrated with both the LCM histologic images and the results of biochemical analyses.
Assessment: Overall, this book will successfully meet the expectations of readers searching for a step-by-step laboratory cookbook and for the guidance in a growing use of the LCM technology in contemporary research.