RefGenes: identification of reliable and condition specific reference genes for RT-qPCR data normalization.

ABSTRACT:

Background

RT-qPCR is a sensitive and increasingly used method for gene expression quantification. To normalize RT-qPCR measurements between samples, most laboratories use endogenous reference genes as internal controls. There is increasing evidence, however, that the expression of commonly used reference genes can vary significantly in certain contexts.

Results

Using the Genevestigator database of normalized and well-annotated microarray experiments, we describe the expression stability characteristics of the transciptomes of several organisms. The results show that a) no genes are universally stable, b) most commonly used reference genes yield very high transcript abundances as compared to the entire transcriptome, and c) for each biological context a subset of stable gene

SUBMITTER: Hruz T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3072958 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature