Panagiotis Tsapogas, Thomas Breslin, Sven Bilke, Anna Lagergren, Robert Månsson, David Liberg, Carsten Peterson and Mikael Sigvardsson RNA Analysis of B-Cell Lines Arrested at Defined Stages of Differentiation Allows for an Approximation of Gene Expression Patterns during B Cell Development Journal of Leukocyte Biology 74, 102-110 (2003) Abstract: The development of a mature B lymphocyte from a bone marrow stem cell is a highly ordered process involving stages with defined features and gene expression patterns. To obtain a deeper understanding of the molecular genetics of this process, we have performed RNA expression analysis of a set of mouse B lineage cell lines representing defined stages of B cell development using AffymetrixTM microarrays. The cells were grouped based on their previously defined phenotypic features, and a gene expression pattern for each group of cell lines was established. The data indicated that the cell lines representing a defined stage generally presented a high similarity in overall expression profiles. Numerous genes could be identified as expressed with a restricted pattern using dCHIP-based, quantitative comparisons or presence/absence-based, probabilistic state analysis. These experiments provide a model for gene expression during B cell development, and the correctly identified expression patterns of a number of control genes suggest that a series of cell lines can be useful tools in the elucidation of the molecular genetics of a complex differentiation process. LU TP 02-31