基因表达转录分析中内参基因的选择

目前基因表达的转录分析多采用单一看家基因作为内参来校正目标基因的表达量.实验中以人肝癌BEL-7402细胞为研究对象,应用实时荧光定量PCR技术,观察了新型三肽化合物酪丝缬肽作用后RPL13A、UBC、EIF4A、B2M、GAPDH和ACTB共6个看家基因mRNA水平的表达情况.经过geNorm程序统计学分析处理,结果表明,这6个看家基因的表达存在差异,确定了RPL13A、UBC2个看家基因用于校正目标基因的表达量.基因表达转录分析中内参基因选择的必要性在实验中得以证明,更重要的是为各种实验因素影响下(尤其是新物质作用下)内参基因的选择介绍和提供了一种行之有效的方法.     

内参基因在昆虫实时荧光定量PCR中的研究进展

作为一种高效的定量PCR技术,实时荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)因其灵敏度高、特异性强、定量准确等优点,已被广泛运用于昆虫基因表达和转录分析。然而,为了控制样本RNA在质量和逆转录效率上存在差异,必须筛选表达稳定的"看家基因"作为内参基因,对目的基因表达量进行校正和标准化。许多学者研究表明,昆虫种类和实验条件的不同,导致选择的内参基因也不尽相同。因此,本文综述了前人有关昆虫内参基因的研究及其稳定性评价,为其它昆虫内参基因的研究提供理论参考依据。     

内参基因加标法定量土壤微生物目标基因绝对拷贝数

【目的】通过荧光定量PCR技术对土壤微生物目标基因进行绝对定量,其定量结果的准确性容易受到DNA提取得率以及腐殖酸抑制性的影响。【方法】采用内参基因加标法,利用构建的突变质粒DNA,对供试水稻土壤样品中的微生物16S r RNA目标基因的绝对拷贝数进行荧光定量PCR检测,用来表征该样品中细菌群落总体丰度。在定量前通过双向引物扩增方法验证突变质粒中的内参基因对供试土壤的特异性。【结果】不同水稻土壤样品的DNA提取量在样品间差异较大。通过内参基因加标法对DNA提取量进行校正,显著提高了16S r RNA基因绝对定量的精确度。不同水稻土壤样品间的变异系数为17.8,与未加标处理相比降低了66.7%。在此基础上,进一步通过内参基因加标法对土壤有机质和含水率均呈现典型空间特征差异的6处亚热带湿地土壤样品中的16S r RNA基因进行绝对定量。16S r RNA基因绝对拷贝数与土壤微生物生物量碳具有显著的线性相关性(R2=0.694,P0.001),表明内参校正后的16S r RNA基因绝对拷贝数可以准确反映单位质量土壤中微生物的丰度。【结论】内参基因加标法可以对DNA提取得率以及腐殖酸对PCR扩增的抑制性进行校正,从而提高绝对定量的准确性。基于内参基因加标法的目标基因绝对定量PCR检测,可作为土壤微生物生物量测量,以及微生物功能基因绝对丰度定量的一种核酸检测方法。     

实时荧光定量PCR分析蒙古韭低温诱导叶片中内参基因的选择

实时荧光定量PCR (real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR,qRT-PCR)是广泛应用于基因表达分析的实验技术。在基因表达分析过程中,选择稳定表达的内参基因对实验结果的准确性非常重要。以低温诱导24 h和72 h蒙古韭(Allium mongolicum)的叶片为材料,无处理0 h叶片为对照,使用荧光定量PCR法分析了Am5S-rRNA、AmActin、AmGAPDH和AmEF1-α4个看家基因的表达情况。通过ge Norm和NormFinder程序分析,发现AmGAPDH稳定性最好,Am5S-r RNA和AmActin次之,AmEF1-α稳定性最差,因此选择AmGAPDH作为蒙古韭基因表达分析的内参基因。本研究通过qRT-PCR方法分析稳定表达的内参基因,对后续蒙古韭低温诱导基因表达分析有重要的意义。     

鳜鱼基因表达转录分析中的内参选择比较

目前基因表达的转录分析多采用单一或多个看家基因作为内参来校正目的基因的表达量。该实验以鳜鱼6个不同组织和5个不同胚胎发育阶段为研究对象,应用实时荧光定量PCR技术,观察了GAPDH、β-actin和18S rRNA三个看家基因mRNA水平的表达情况。geNorm统计分析表明,胚胎发育阶段β-actin表达最为稳定;不同的组织样品间,GAPDH表达最为稳定;而18S rRNA 的表达在不同的发育阶段不稳定。当利用多基因作为内参时,使用两个最稳定表达的看家基因即可对目的基因的表达进行准确校正。该结果证实了基因表达转录分析中内参基因选择的必要性,同时为鳜鱼等鱼类基因表达分析时内参基因的选择提供有价值的参考     

小鼠基因转录表达分析中内参基因的优选

目的 建立小鼠基因转录表达分析中内参基因的选择方法.方法 以C57BL/6J和C3H/HeJ两个品系3个不同组织及2个不同发育阶段为研究对象,应用反转录实时定量PCR技术,评价GAPDH(glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase)、HPRTl(hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase)、B2M(β2-microglobulin)、PPIA(peptidylprolyl isomerase A)、ACTB(Actin-beta)和18S rRNA(18S ribosomal RNA)等6个看家基因在下丘脑、垂体与卵巢中mRNA水平的表达稳定性.结果 GeNorm统计分析表明,GAPDH和HPRT1表达最为稳定,PPIA等次之,B2M在不同组织和发育阶段中都几乎无表达.结论 成功筛选到GAPDH和HPRT1两个稳定表达的看家基因,证实了小鼠基因表达转录分析中内参基因选择的必要性和可行性.     

在发育性变化相关基因表达特性检测中内参基因的有效性和实时定量PCR解析方法的适用性

实时定量PCR技术(quantitative real-time PCR assay, rtQ-PCR)是一种快速检测核酸水平的方法.在多数相对定量法的运用过程中,会同时引入内参基因用以校正由于采样和操作误差所带来的样本之间核酸总量的差别.一个理想的内参基因的表达水平必须维持恒定或至少不受实际试验条件和机体发育变化的影响.由于作为候选内参基因的看家基因也可能会随着试验条件改变呈现出发育性变化和/或差异表达,故在相关研究中,内参基因的选择就成为试验的关键和难点.本研究采用rtQ-PCR技术,以鸭胚胎期和出雏早期肝脏中IGF-玉mRNA表达的发育性变化检测为例,探讨涉及发育性变化的基因表达解析过程中内参基因的选择,并评估绝对和相对定量两种解析方法的适用性.我们认为涉及发育性变化的基因表达解析过程中内参基因的选择时,采用2-△Ct法对内参基因的有效性进行的组间评价,比Genorm等方法对内参基因的有效性进行的整体评价更为科学;涉及发育性变化的基因表达解析过程中,如果难以找到一个理想的内参基因时,绝对rtQ-PCR解析方法将比随意选取一种内参基因作为内标的相对rtQ-PCR解析方法更为简单和适用,结果的解析也更为直观和可靠.     

小菜蛾U6 snRNA基因的克隆及作为miRNA定量表达分析内参基因的评价

【目的】克隆小菜蛾Plutella xylostella (L.)小分子非编码RNA U6的cDNA序列,并评价其是否适合作为定量检测小菜蛾microRNA (miRNA)表达量的内参基因。【方法】本研究采用RT-PCR 克隆获得了小菜蛾4龄幼虫核小RNA(small nuclear RNA, snRNA) U6的cDNA序列,并用定量PCR法检测了U6及8种miRNAs在小菜蛾不同发育阶段及不同杀虫药剂处理后的表达稳定性。【结果】小菜蛾U6的cDNA序列全长 94 bp,与其他昆虫U6的核苷酸序列一致性达98.9%。用geNorm和RefFinder软件分析荧光定量PCR结果表明,U6在小菜蛾卵、1-4龄幼虫、蛹和成虫7个不同发育阶段表达稳定;用马拉硫磷、毒死蜱、辛硫磷、灭多威、呋喃虫酰肼、高效氯氰菊酯、氯虫苯甲酰胺、溴虫腈和Bt 9种不同作用机理的杀虫药剂处理3龄末幼虫48 h,对U6的表达水平无显著影响。【结论】小菜蛾U6表达水平不受不同发育阶段和不同杀虫药剂处理的影响,符合作为内参基因的基本特点,可作为定量PCR法评价小菜蛾miRNA或其他非编码小分子RNA表达水平的内参基因。研究结果为小菜蛾miRNA表达水平的准确定量奠定了基础。     

小桐子低温胁迫下microRNA实时荧光定量PCR内参的筛选与比较

选择合适的内参对实时荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)结果的准确性极其重要,在microRNA(miRNA)的qRT-PCR分析中尤为如此。通过筛选适宜分析小桐子低温胁迫下miRNA定量表达的内参,为小桐子及其他物种mi RNA的qRT-PCR分析提供有用的理论参考。基于以前的小RNA-seq结果,以低温处理的小桐子为材料,挑选11个候选内参基因,用实时荧光定量PCR技术检测它们在不同样本中的表达量,采用GeNorm、NormFinder和BestKeeper软件进行表达稳定性综合分析。结果表明,表达最稳定的基因是miR6448和U6,miR6448的Ct值为23左右,表达丰度适中;U6的Ct值为10左右,表达丰度高;因此,miR6448可作为小桐子低温胁迫下表达丰度适中的miRNA qRT-PCR的内参基因;U6可作为小桐子低温胁迫下丰度较高的miRNA qRT-PCR的内参基因。     

南美蟛蜞菊内参基因Actin的克隆及其分析

看家基因Actin常被用作定量、半定量PCR试验的内参基因.为研究其他基因在南美蟛蜞菊响应环境变化的表达调控机制,根据GenBank上已登录的肌动蛋白基因(Actin)的同源核苷酸保守序列,设计特异性引物,利用RT-PCR的方法克隆获得了南美蟛蜞菊Actin基因的全长序列,并将该序列命名为WtAct.序列分析结果表明WtAct基因全长为1 134 bp,编码377个氨基酸,且与已发表的蓖麻、麻风树、青葙、向日葵等植物的核苷酸序列同源性分别在82.9％～93.6％,与这些植物的氨基酸序列相似度在94.0％～99.7％,其中南美蟛蜞菊WtAct与向日葵Actin基因的氨基酸序列相似度最高,达到了 99.7％.进化树分析也表明,两者的同源性最高.采用RT-qPCR方法检测以WtAct为内参基因时南美蟛蜞菊热休克蛋白基因HSP70在不同处理条件下的表达情况,表明HSP70的确受到不同环境变化的诱导表达,说明WtAct可以作为有效的内参基因.这些结果为深入研究南美蟛蜞菊相关功能基因的表达提供了理论基础,也为其他非模式植物Actin基因的克隆提供了借鉴.     

Suitable internal control microRNA genes for measuring miRNA abundance in pig milk during different lactation periods

Determination of an optimal set/number of internal control microRNA (miRNA) genes is a critical, but often undervalued, detail of quantitative gene expression analysis. No validated internal genes for miRNA quantitative PCR (q-PCR) in pig milk were available. We compared the expression stability of six porcine internal control miRNA genes in pig milk from different lactation periods (1 h, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, and 28 days postpartum), using an EvaGreen q-PCR approach. We found that using the three most stable internal control genes to calculate the normalization factor is sufficient for producing reliable q-PCR expression data. We also found that miRNAs are superior to ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and snRNA, which are commonly used as internal controls for normalizing miRNA q-PCR data. In terms of economic and experimental feasibility, we recommend the use of the three most stable internal control miRNA genes (miR-17, -107 and -103) for calculating the normalization factors for pig milk samples from different lactation periods. These results can be applied to future studies aimed at measuring miRNA abundance in porcine milk.     

Normalization of microRNA expression levels in quantitative RT-PCR assays: identification of suitable reference RNA targets in normal and cancerous human solid tissues

Proper normalization is a critical but often an underappreciated aspect of quantitative gene expression analysis. This study describes the identification and characterization of appropriate reference RNA targets for the normalization of microRNA (miRNA) quantitative RT-PCR data. miRNA microarray data from dozens of normal and disease human tissues revealed ubiquitous and stably expressed normalization candidates for evaluation by qRT-PCR. miR-191 and miR-103, among others, were found to be highly consistent in their expression across 13 normal tissues and five pair of distinct tumor/normal adjacent tissues. These miRNAs were statistically superior to the most commonly used reference RNAs used in miRNA qRT-PCR experiments, such as 5S rRNA, U6 snRNA, or total RNA. The most stable normalizers were also highly conserved across flash-frozen and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded lung cancer tumor/NAT sample sets, resulting in the confirmation of one well-documented oncomir (let-7a), as well as the identification of novel oncomirs. These findings constitute the first report describing the rigorous normalization of miRNA qRT-PCR data and have important implications for proper experimental design and accurate data interpretation.     

Selection and validation of suitable reference genes for miRNA expression normalization by quantitative RT-PCR in citrus somatic embryogenic and adult tissues

miRNAs have recently been reported to modulate somatic embryogenesis (SE), a key pathway of plant regeneration in vitro. For expression level detection and subsequent function dissection of miRNAs in certain biological processes, qRT-PCR is one of the most effective and sensitive techniques, for which suitable reference gene selection is a prerequisite. In this study, three miRNAs and eight non-coding RNAs (ncRNA) were selected as reference candidates, and their expression stability was inspected in developing citrus SE tissues cultured at 20, 25, and 30?°C. Stability of the eight non-miRNA ncRNAs was further validated in five adult tissues without temperature treatment. The best single reference gene for SE tissues was snoR14 or snoRD25, while for the adult tissues the best one was U4; although they were not as stable as the optimal multiple references snoR14?+?U6 for SE tissues and snoR14?+?U5 for adult tissues. For expression normalization of less abundant miRNAs in SE tissues, miR3954 was assessed as a viable reference. Single reference gene snoR14 outperformed multiple references for the overall SE and adult tissues. As one of the pioneer systematic studies on reference gene identification for plant miRNA normalization, this study benefits future exploration on miRNA function in citrus and provides valuable information for similar studies in other higher plants. Key message Three miRNAs and eight non-coding RNAs were tested as reference candidates on developing citrus SE tissues. Best single references snoR14 or snoRD25 and optimal multiple references snoR14?+?U6, snoR14?+?U5 were identified.     

Identification of mouse serum miRNA endogenous references by global gene expression profiles

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are recently discovered small non-coding RNAs and can serve as serum biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognoses. Lack of reliable serum miRNA endogenous references for normalization in miRNA gene expression makes single miRNA assays inaccurate. Using TaqMan® real-time PCR miRNA arrays with a global gene expression normalization strategy, we have analyzed serum miRNA expression profiles of 20 female mice of NOD/ShiLtJ (n = 8), NOR/LtJ (n = 6), and C57BL/6J (n = 6) at different ages and disease conditions. We identified five miRNAs, miR-146a, miR-16, miR-195, miR-30e and miR-744, to be stably expressed in all strains, which could serve as mouse serum miRNA endogenous references for single assay experiments.     

Imaging individual microRNAs in single mammalian cells in situ

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are potent negative regulators of gene expression that have been implicated in most major cellular processes. Despite rapid advances in our understanding of miRNA biogenesis and mechanism, many fundamental questions still remain regarding miRNA function and their influence on cell cycle control. Considering recent reports on the impact of cell-to-cell fluctuations in gene expression on phenotypic diversity, it is likely that looking at the average miRNA expression of cell populations could result in the loss of important information connecting miRNA expression and cell function. Currently, however, there are no efficient techniques to quantify miRNA expression at the single-cell level. Here, a method is described for the detection of individual miRNA molecules in cancer cells using fluorescence in situ hybridization. The method combines the unique recognition properties of locked nucleic acid probes with enzyme-labeled fluorescence. Using this approach, individual miRNAs are identified as bright, photostable fluorescent spots. In this study, miR-15a was quantified in MDA-MB-231 and HeLa cells, while miR-155 was quantified in MCF-7 cells. The dynamic range was found to span over three orders of magnitude and the average miRNA copy number per cell was within 17.5% of measurements acquired by quantitative RT-PCR.     

Identification of a suitable endogenous control gene in porcine blastocysts for use in quantitative PCR analysis of microRNAs

To obtain reliable results in quantitative PCR (qPCR) reactions, an endogenous control (EC) gene is needed to correct for systematic variations. In this study, a TaqMan low density array was used to quantify the expression levels of microRNA (miRNA) genes in in vivo fertilized, in vitro fertilized, parthenogenetic and somatic cell nuclear transfer blastocysts. The aim was to identify suitable EC genes for the qPCR analysis of miRNAs in porcine blastocysts. The results showed that thirty-six miRNAs were commonly expressed in the four kinds of embryos and the expression levels of eleven miRNAs were similar in the different embryo types (P-value>0.05). These 11 miRNAs were selected as candidate EC genes for further analysis and, of these, miR-16 was identified as the most stable EC gene by the GeNorm (a tool based on a pair-wise comparison model that calculates the internal control genes stability measure and determines the most reliable pair of EC genes) and NormFinder (an excel plug-in that uses an ANOVA-based model to estimate intra- and inter-group variation to indicate the single most stable EC gene) programs. In addition, a cell number normalization method validated miR-16 as a suitable EC gene for use in future qPCR analysis of miRNAs in porcine blastocysts.