Gene expression profiling to identify druggable targets in prion diseases

Importance of the field: Despite many recent advances in prion research, the molecular mechanisms by which prions cause neurodegeneration have not been established. In fact, the complexity and the novelty characterizing this class of disorders pose a huge challenge to drug discovery. Pharmacogenomics has recently adopted high-throughput transcriptome analyses to predict potential drug target candidates, with promising results in various fields of medicine. Areas covered in this review: The present work offers an overview of the transcriptional alterations induced by prion infection in different biological systems. Hereafter, therapeutic approaches are discussed in light of the identified altered processes. What the reader will gain: This review offers readers a detailed overview on microarray analyses, taking into account their advantages and limitations. Our work can help readers, from many research areas, to design a suitable microarray experiment. Take home message: So far, drugs acting on the pathways identified by microarray analysis have not been found to be effective in prion diseases therapy. An integration of gene expression profiling, proteomics and physiology should be applied to pursue this aim.