Use of DNA microarrays to monitor host response to virus and virus-derived gene therapy vectors

Given the biological complexity of viral infections, the variability of the host response, and the safety concerns related to viral-mediated gene transfer, recent studies have made use of DNA mircoarrays to integrate multi-layered experimental approaches aimed at completely clarifying virus-host interactions. Particular attention has been given to those viruses that are implicated in clinical use and/or in life-threatening diseases. Examples of such use can be divided into three main categories, including: (i) the use of microarrays to study viral expression; (ii) the use of microarrays to analyze the host response to viral infection; and (iii) the use of microarrays to characterize the host response to viral vector-mediated transduction. Significant information on virus- and viral vector-host interactions can be obtained with the microarray approach, including the recognition of master pathways of virally-induced responses, the identification of new target genes for specific viruses, and indications on the molecular toxicity of specific gene transfer vectors currently used for gene therapy trials (in particular, adeno-associated viruses and adenovirus-derived vectors). We predict that the development of accessible repositories containing most of the DNA microarray data on viral infections will certainly help to elucidate the puzzling pictures of different viral infections. This will be crucially important for the correct handling of viral diseases and the intelligent amelioration of viral vectors for gene therapy.