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Related Experiment Videos

Stability of RNA transcripts in post-mortem psychiatric brains.

M Schramm1, P Falkai, R Tepest

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn Medical Center, Federal Republic of Germany.

Journal of Neural Transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996)
|July 7, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Post-mortem brain tissue RNA analysis reveals stable mRNA transcripts, even up to four days post-mortem. This confirms the reliability of RT-PCR for gene expression studies using these valuable samples.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Post-mortem human brain tissue is crucial for studying neurological disorders.
  • Assessing gene expression in post-mortem samples requires validated methods due to potential RNA degradation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the stability of messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts in human post-mortem brain tissue.
  • To validate a sensitive and competitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique for gene expression analysis.
  • To determine the suitability of post-mortem brain samples for differential gene expression studies.

Main Methods:

  • RNA extraction from frozen human post-mortem brain tissue.
  • Analysis of five gene products using a sensitive and competitive RT-PCR technique.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examination of samples with post-mortem intervals up to four days from control, schizophrenic, and alcoholic individuals.
  • Evaluation of three housekeeping genes and Trk B and Trk C gene transcripts.

    • Main Results:

    • mRNA transcript levels for three housekeeping genes, Trk B, and Trk C remained stable.
    • Transcript stability was observed across all examined post-mortem time intervals (one to four days).
    • The RT-PCR protocol demonstrated sensitivity and reliability in quantifying relative mRNA amounts.

    Conclusions:

    • The developed RT-PCR protocol is a reliable method for studying relative mRNA amounts in post-mortem brain samples.
    • Housekeeping transcripts are stable in post-mortem brain tissue up to four days, supporting their use in gene expression studies.
    • Post-mortem brain samples are valuable for differential gene expression research.