Abstract
The invention of real-time polymerase chair reaction (PCR) has revolutionized the quantification of gene expression and DNA copy number measurements. However, after the first documentation of real-time PCR in 1993 (1), it took several years for this method to become a mainstream tool. PCR generates DNA copies in an exponential way. As soon as resources are exhausted, however, the so-called plateau phase of PCR reaction is reached, making quantification very unreliable. Therefore, quantification appears most reliable in the early exponential phase of PCR (i.e., in a “real-time” fashion). To ensure measurements in this phase of the PCR cycle, real-time PCR measures as soon as the threshold of detection is definitely reached. The cycle of PCR at which this occurs is then named the threshold cycle (2) (see Fig. 1). It is the objective of this chapter to describe the possibilities of TaqMan real-time PCR for mRNA and DNA quantification and to discuss pitfalls and alternatives.
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Dötsch, J., Schoof, E., Rascher, W. (2005). Quantitative TaqMan Real-Time PCR. In: Walker, J.M., Rapley, R. (eds) Medical Biomethods Handbook. Springer Protocols Handbooks. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-870-6:305
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-870-6:305
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