A Versatile Panel of Reference Gene Assays for the Measurement of Chicken mRNA by Quantitative PCR.

Quantitative real-time PCR assays are widely used for the quantification of mRNA within avian experimental samples. Multiple stably-expressed reference genes, selected for the lowest variation in representative samples, can be used to control random technical variation. Reference gene assays must be...

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Main Authors: Karen Staines, Ambalika Batra, William Mwangi, Helena J Maier, Steven Van Borm, John R Young, Mark Fife, Colin Butter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2016-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0160173&type=printable
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author Karen Staines
Ambalika Batra
William Mwangi
Helena J Maier
Steven Van Borm
John R Young
Mark Fife
Colin Butter
author_facet Karen Staines
Ambalika Batra
William Mwangi
Helena J Maier
Steven Van Borm
John R Young
Mark Fife
Colin Butter
author_sort Karen Staines
collection DOAJ
description Quantitative real-time PCR assays are widely used for the quantification of mRNA within avian experimental samples. Multiple stably-expressed reference genes, selected for the lowest variation in representative samples, can be used to control random technical variation. Reference gene assays must be reliable, have high amplification specificity and efficiency, and not produce signals from contaminating DNA. Whilst recent research papers identify specific genes that are stable in particular tissues and experimental treatments, here we describe a panel of ten avian gene primer and probe sets that can be used to identify suitable reference genes in many experimental contexts. The panel was tested with TaqMan and SYBR Green systems in two experimental scenarios: a tissue collection and virus infection of cultured fibroblasts. GeNorm and NormFinder algorithms were able to select appropriate reference gene sets in each case. We show the effects of using the selected genes on the detection of statistically significant differences in expression. The results are compared with those obtained using 28s ribosomal RNA, the present most widely accepted reference gene in chicken work, identifying circumstances where its use might provide misleading results. Methods for eliminating DNA contamination of RNA reduced, but did not completely remove, detectable DNA. We therefore attached special importance to testing each qPCR assay for absence of signal using DNA template. The assays and analyses developed here provide a useful resource for selecting reference genes for investigations of avian biology.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1932-6203
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publishDate 2016-01-01
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spelling doaj-art-c8461a3f2702493b9dbeea87f6d08f062025-08-20T03:24:29ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032016-01-01118e016017310.1371/journal.pone.0160173A Versatile Panel of Reference Gene Assays for the Measurement of Chicken mRNA by Quantitative PCR.Karen StainesAmbalika BatraWilliam MwangiHelena J MaierSteven Van BormJohn R YoungMark FifeColin ButterQuantitative real-time PCR assays are widely used for the quantification of mRNA within avian experimental samples. Multiple stably-expressed reference genes, selected for the lowest variation in representative samples, can be used to control random technical variation. Reference gene assays must be reliable, have high amplification specificity and efficiency, and not produce signals from contaminating DNA. Whilst recent research papers identify specific genes that are stable in particular tissues and experimental treatments, here we describe a panel of ten avian gene primer and probe sets that can be used to identify suitable reference genes in many experimental contexts. The panel was tested with TaqMan and SYBR Green systems in two experimental scenarios: a tissue collection and virus infection of cultured fibroblasts. GeNorm and NormFinder algorithms were able to select appropriate reference gene sets in each case. We show the effects of using the selected genes on the detection of statistically significant differences in expression. The results are compared with those obtained using 28s ribosomal RNA, the present most widely accepted reference gene in chicken work, identifying circumstances where its use might provide misleading results. Methods for eliminating DNA contamination of RNA reduced, but did not completely remove, detectable DNA. We therefore attached special importance to testing each qPCR assay for absence of signal using DNA template. The assays and analyses developed here provide a useful resource for selecting reference genes for investigations of avian biology.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0160173&type=printable
spellingShingle Karen Staines
Ambalika Batra
William Mwangi
Helena J Maier
Steven Van Borm
John R Young
Mark Fife
Colin Butter
A Versatile Panel of Reference Gene Assays for the Measurement of Chicken mRNA by Quantitative PCR.
PLoS ONE
title A Versatile Panel of Reference Gene Assays for the Measurement of Chicken mRNA by Quantitative PCR.
title_full A Versatile Panel of Reference Gene Assays for the Measurement of Chicken mRNA by Quantitative PCR.
title_fullStr A Versatile Panel of Reference Gene Assays for the Measurement of Chicken mRNA by Quantitative PCR.
title_full_unstemmed A Versatile Panel of Reference Gene Assays for the Measurement of Chicken mRNA by Quantitative PCR.
title_short A Versatile Panel of Reference Gene Assays for the Measurement of Chicken mRNA by Quantitative PCR.
title_sort versatile panel of reference gene assays for the measurement of chicken mrna by quantitative pcr
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0160173&type=printable
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