Gene expression between high and low altitude Mus musculus domesticus

Analysis of gene expression profiles is an attractive method for discovering how animals respond to environmental challenges in nature. Compared to low altitudes, high altitudes are characterized by reduced partial pressures of oxygen (hypoxia) and cooler ambient temperatures To better understand how mammals cope with high altitudes, we trapped wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) from 3 populations in La Paz, Bolivia (3000 - 3600 m) and 3 populations in Lima, Peru (0 – 200 m). Affymetrix GeneChip® Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Arrays were use to measure mRNA abundance in the livers of these mice. Eighteen male house mice were trapped from three different locations (3 mice per location)at high alttiude (La Paz, Bolivia, 3600 m) and from three locations at low altiditude (Lima, Peru, 100 m). Total mRNA was extracted from the livers and used for hybridization of Affymetrix GeneChip Mouse expression set 420.