Analysis of gene expression in the brain using differential display

The utility of differential display as a method of screening for differences in gene expression between a number of control and experimental conditions using small amounts of RNA and standard equipment and reagents found in most molecular biology laboratories has been demonstrated over the last 15 years. This chapter will discuss the advantages and limitations of differential display compared to some other methods used to study gene expression patterns and discuss some parameters of experimental design that should be considered prior to initiating a differential display screen. Methods for differential display reactions and verification of differential gene expression are presented.