Quantification of mRNA Levels Using Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR technique has advanced greatly over the past 20 years. Messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in cells or tissues can be quantified by this approach. It is well known that changes in mRNA expression in disease, and correlation of mRNA expression profiles with clinical parameters, serve as clinically relevant biomarkers. Hence, accurate determination of the mRNA levels is critically important in describing the biological, pathological, and clinical roles of genes in health and disease. This chapter describes a real-time PCR approach to detect and quantify mRNA expression levels, which can be used for both laboratorial and clinical studies in breast cancer research.