Present status and trends in development of high density microarray

Abstract

Microarray technology allows for highly parallel analysis of the functions and interactions of biomolecules. This technology is expected to revolutionize the analysis of biomolecules, including DNA, proteins and peptides. In spite of this, only a DNA microarray has achieved great success and commercial viability as a nucleic acids analysis tool because the fabrication process is relatively simpler. The fabrication of protein and peptide microarrays involves many technical challenges owing to the stability and structural complexity of proteins. Alternative methods to fabricate protein microarrays using a cell-free synthesis system have been proposed since 2000. In recent years, a microintaglio printing method was developed by integrating a cell-free synthesis system and microfabrication technology. This method enabled us to fabricate highly integrated protein mutant microarray, in which 107 ̶108 mutants are integrated on a single chip. By using this method, the creation of artificial proteins with desired functions through highly parallel screening on the protein microarray becomes a real possibility. Here, we review the present status and trends in the development of a large-scale protein microarray, and discuss the future perspective of this technology.