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INFORMATION PAGE 5 - This page and the following pages provide in-depth information on RT-PCR

Real-Time PCR Chemistries
Currently four different chemistries, TaqMan (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA), Molecular Beacons, Scorpions and SYBR Green (Molecular Probes), are available for real-time PCR. All of these chemistries allow detection of PCR products via the generation of a fluorescent signal. TaqMan probes, Molecular Beacons and Scorpions. (Registered Tradeemarks are all recognsied by this website).

depend on Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) to generate the fluorescence signal via the coupling of a fluorogenic dye molecule and a quencher moeity to the same or different oligonucleotide substrates. SYBR Green is a fluorogenic dye that exhibits little fluorescence when in solution, but emits a strong fluorescent signal upon binding to doublestranded DNA.

Quantitation of Results
Two strategies are commonly employed to quantify the results obtained by real-time RT-PCR; the standard curve method and the comparative threshold method.

Standard Curve Method
In this method, a standard curve is first constructed from RNA of known concentration. This curve is then used as a reference standard for extrapolating quantitative information for mRNA targets of unknown concentrations. Though RNA standards can be used, their stability can be a source of variability in the final analyses.

In addition to RNA, other nucleic acid samples can be used to construct the standard curve, including purified plasmid dsDNA, in vitro generated ssDNA or any cDNA sample expressing the target gene. Spectrophotometric measurements at 260 nm can be used to assess the concentration of these DNAs, which can then be converted to a copy number value based on the molecular weight of the sample used. cDNA plasmids are the preferred standards for standard curve quantitation.

Comparative Ct Method
Another quantitation approach is termed the comparative Ct method. This involves comparing the Ct values of the samples of interest with a control or calibrator such as a non-treated sample or RNA from normal tissue. The Ct values of both the calibrator and the samples of interest are normalized to an appropriate endogenous housekeeping gene.

The comparative Ct method is also known as the 2-[delta][delta]Ct method,
where [delta][delta]Ct = [delta]Ct,sample - [delta]Ct,reference

Here, [delta]CT,sample is the Ct value for any sample normalized to the endogenous housekeeping gene and [delta]Ct, reference is the Ct value for the calibrator also normalized to the endogenous housekeeping gene. For the [delta][delta]Ct calculation to be valid, the amplification efficiencies of the target and the endogenous reference must be approximately equal.

End-Point RT-PCR: Relative vs. Competitive vs. Comparative
In spite of the rapid advances made in the area of real-time PCR detection chemistries and instrumentation, end-point RT-PCR still remains a very commonly used technique for measuring changes in gene-expression in small sample numbers.

End-point RT-PCR can be used to measure changes in expression levels using three different methods: relative, competitive and comparative. The most commonly used procedures for quantitating end-point RT-PCR results rely on detecting a fluorescent dye such as ethidium bromide, or quantitation of P32-labeled PCR product by a phosphorimager or, to a lesser extent, by scintillation counting.

Relative quantitation compares transcript abundance across multiple samples, using a co-amplified internal control for sample normalization. Results are expressed as ratios of the gene-specific signal to the internal control signal. This yields a corrected relative value for the gene-specific product in each sample. These values may be compared between samples for an estimate of the relative expression of target RNA in the samples; for example, 3.5-fold more IL-15 in sample 1 than in sample 2.

Absolute quantitation, using competitive RT-PCR, measures the absolute amount (e.g., 5.3 x 105 copies) of a specific mRNA sequence in a sample. Dilutions of a synthetic RNA (identical in sequence, but slightly shorter than the endogenous target) are added to sample RNA replicates and are co-amplified with the endogenous target. The PCR product from the endogenous transcript is then compared to the concentration curve created by the synthetic "competitor RNA."

Comparative RT-PCR mimics competitive RT-PCR in that target message from each RNA sample competes for amplification reagents within a single reaction, making the technique reliably quantitative. Because the cDNA from both samples have the same PCR primer binding site, one sample acts as a competitor for the other, making it unnecessary to synthesize a competitor RNA sequence.

Both relative and competitive RT-PCR quantitation techniques require pilot experiments. In the case of relative RT-PCR, pilot experiments include selection of a quantitation method and determination of the exponential range of amplification for each mRNA under study. For competitive RT-PCR, a synthetic RNA competitor transcript must be synthesized and used in pilot experiments to determine the appropriate range for the standard curve. Comparative RT-PCR yields similar sensitivity as relative and competitive RT-PCR, but requires significantly less optimization and does not require synthesis of a competitor.

References 1. RT-PCR 2. PCR-Detection & Monitoring 3. Competitive & Non Competitive PCR 4. PCR Protocols 5. Quantification , 6. References