A synthetic standard DNA construct for use in quantification of murine cytokine mRNA molecules

A synthetic DNA construct has been developed as a standard molecule whereby murine cytokine mRNA molecules can be quantified by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The construct, designated Cytoquant 1, allows the quantification of murine IL-1 alpha, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, TGF-beta, GM-CSF, CD4, CD8, HPRT and beta-actin mRNA levels. This technique is based on the amplification of a transcribed RNA molecule from Cytoquant 1 as an internal standard control in both the RT and PCR reactions. The quantification data from these analyses are expressed in absolute values, i.e. molecules/cell, which allows the data derived from separate experiments to be compared. In this study, mRNAs encoding beta-actin, IL-10, IFN-gamma and GM-CSF have been quantitated in both Th1 and Th2 cell clones with, and without, stimulation. The quantitative analysis data are highly reproducible and cytokine mRNA concentrations are reflective of restricted cytokine secretion patterns. Furthermore, constitutive cytokine mRNA levels are detectable in resting cells, eliminating the need for exogenous stimulation. The high degree of sensitivity and accuracy make this methodology uniquely suited for the study of T-cell subset cytokine expression in both in vivo and in vitro biological models.