Performing quantitative reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction experiments

Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is as old as PCR, but it has had to wait for the introduction of real-time PCR instruments to become widely used. These instruments allow monitoring of the PCR reaction on line; they involve the use of a fluorescent probe that allows quantification of the amplified DNA. Different fluorescent formats and different applications have been developed for quantitative PCR, but this chapter focuses on the use of the SYBR Green label for the quantification of specific cDNAs in reverse transcription mixes: RT-PCR. We propose optimal reaction conditions for the reactions to be performed on the different available instruments and discuss the important parameters for setting up experiments: specificity, efficiency, and reproducibility. We also introduce the reader to the problems of relative quantification.