Quantitation of glutaminase mRNA in enterocytes using competitive RT-PCR

The concentration of mRNA within the intestinal mucosa is usually measured by either Northern blot analysis or semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). However, these methods are limited by a lack of valid internal controls, low sensitivity, and large differences in the concentration of the internal control and target gene. The authors present an alternative method using competitive RT-PCR to measure glutaminase mRNA in isolated enterocytes.