The Use of Real-Time Reverse Transcription-PCR for Assessing Estrogen Receptor and Estrogen-Responsive Gene...

Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), also known as quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), is a powerful tool for assessing gene transcription levels. The technique is especially useful for measuring estrogen receptor transcript levels as well as gene expression changes in response to estrogen stimulation as it is quick, accurate, robust, and allows the measurement of gene expression in a variety of tissues and cells. This chapter describes the protocols used for the real-time RT-PCR assay using hydrolysis (TaqMan-type) probes.