Application of Laser-Capture Microdissection to Study Renal Carcinogenesis

Kidney cancer is characterized by significant morphological and molecular heterogeneity. Evaluation of mechanisms involved in the development and progression of kidney cancer require comprehensive analyses of genomes, transcriptomes, proteomes, and methylation profiles in normal and tumor tissue. To date, indiscriminate homogenates of tumor tissue or biopsy samples have been used as a source for DNA, RNA, or protein isolation. A major technical improvement has been the development of laser-assisted microdissection that allows the isolation of morphologically similar cells. The applications of this techno�logy to kidney cancer research are outlined.