DNA microarrays: A powerful new tool for analysis of the virus-host interaction

DNA microarray technology enables the expression profiles of thousands of genes to be assayed in parallel. Recently, DNA microarrays have been utilized to study the modulation of host-cell gene expression during virus infection. These experiments have led to the identification of a number of hitherto uncharacterized changes in host-cell gene expression that occurs in the presence of virus. Understanding how these changes impact both virus and host should lead to an increased understanding of the mechanisms of virus replication, host anti-viral responses and viral pathogenesis.