Comprehensive gene expression profile of extrahepatic bile ducts in mice with experimental biliary atresia

Newborn Balb/c mice were injected intraperitoneally with 1.5x10^6 fluorescent-forming units (ffu) of type- A Rhesus Rotavirus (RRV) or 0.9% normal saline (NS; control) within 24 hours of birth to induce experimental model of biliary atresia. Extrahepatic bile ducts including gallbladder were microdissected en bloc at 3, 7 and 14 days after RRV or saline injections. GeneChip® Mouse Gene 1.0 ST Array (Affymetrix, CA) were used to screen mRNAs whose expression was differently regulated after RRV challenge compared to normal saline controls. Gene expression profiling: Each experimental conditon contains 3 sets of samples. Each sample consists of two to six extrahepatic bile ducts pooled prior to isolation of total RNA to ensure generation of adequate mRNA to perform quantitative experiments.