Approaches to Quantification of RNA Targets by PCR Based Techniques

F.      Watzinger; T.      Lion

Abstract

Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques are increasingly used for the quantification of gene transcripts. Compared to other methods permitting relative or absolute quantitation of mRNA, the RT-PCR approach offers the advantages of superior sensitivity, high specifity, and great versatility. In this review, we discuss different approaches to PCR-based quantification of gene expression including comparative, competitive, and real-time PCR. Different formats of fluorescence-based real-time PCR and their applications in clinical diagnosis and research are presented.

Keywords: pcr technique, rna target, rt-pcr, real-time pcr

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