The change of gene expression profile of primary rat hepatocytes after treatment with interferon alpha.. Rattus norvegicus

The transcriptional response to interferon alpha is cell type specific. To data, majority of investigations of interferon alpha induced gene expression have been made using immortalized or transformed cell lines underlining interferon's importance for treatment of cancer but omitting physiological relevance. Here in we have determined gene expression change in primary culture of hepatocytes after interferon alpha treatment. We used Affymetrix Rat Genome 230 2 microarrays to determine gene expression profiles in primary rat hepatocytes after interferon alpha treatment and untreated cells. Overall design: Primary hepatocytes were chosen because they are most relevant to physiological state in intact liver. Hepatocytes was isolated from rat liver using collagenase treatment procedure and purified on percoll gradient. Next day after isolation primary hepatocytes culture was cultivated with (or without) 250u/ml rat interferon alpha for 3 and 6 hours. Experiment was performed in 3 biological replicates. cRNA preparation was performed according manufacturer's recommendation from 5ug of total RNA and gene expression profiles were determined.