A Laboratory Guide to RNA


Book Description

Here is the most complete guide available to the isolation, analysis, and synthesis of RNA. It covers everything researchers and laboratory workers need to know about the study of gene expression via RNA analysis-from the theory behind the methods, to actual problem-solving techniques. Step-by-step protocols are presented for each method. A careful presentation of the experimental formalities of these protocols enables specialists and nonspecialists alike to implement the methods easily in the laboratory. Each protocol is accompanied by the theoretical background underlying the experimental procedure and most chapters contain illustrations of typical results and troubleshooting tips. A Laboratory Guide to RNA offers a straightforward detailed account of experimental procedures, ranging from the isolation of RNA from a variety of cell and tissue types, detection analysis, and quantitation using a range of strategies, to large- and small-scale synthesis of RNA. This unique guide not only covers established procedures such as RNA blotting and nuclease protection, but also the latest protocols for quantitative PCR and differential display. Protocols addressing in situ hybridization are highlighted in an eight-page, full-color section that illustrates the power of the technique for detection of gene expression in tissues and whole organisms. Featuring contributions from leading research laboratories and the biotechnology field, A Laboratory Guide to RNA: Isolation, Analysis, and Synthesis provides all the methods required for RNA analysis. It is the ideal laboratory guide for research scientists, graduate students, and lab personnel who need a solid reference on the analysis of gene expression at the RNA level.




RT-PCR Protocols


Book Description

Until the mid 1980s, the detection and quantification of a specific mRNA was a difficult task, usually only undertaken by a skilled molecular biologist. With the advent of PCR, it became possible to amplify specific mRNA, after first converting the mRNA to cDNA via reverse transcriptase. The arrival of this technique—termed reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR)—meant that mRNA suddenly became amenable to rapid and sensitive analysis, without the need for advanced training in molecular biology. This new accessibility of mRNA, which has been facilitated by the rapid accumulation of sequence data for human mRNAs, means that every biomedical researcher can now include measurement of specific mRNA expression as a routine component of his/her research plans. In view of the ubiquity of the use of standard RT-PCR, the main objective of RT-PCR Protocols is essentially to provide novel, useful applications of RT-PCR. These include some useful adaptations and applications that could be relevant to the wider research community who are already familiar with the basic RT-PCR protocol. For example, a variety of different adaptations are described that have been employed to obtain quantitative data from RT-PCR. Quantitative RT-PCR provides the ability to accurately measure changes/imb- ances in specific mRNA expression between normal and diseased tissues.




PCR in Situ Hybridization


Book Description

Describes the technique whereby the extreme sensitivity of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is combined with the cell localizing ability of in situ hybridization. This revised and updated edition contains chapters on the basics of molecular biology; the nonspecific pathways of PCR; applications of PCR in situ hybridization--human papillomavirus, and HIV-1; and instrumentation. There is also an appendix on reagents for molecular biological analyses. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR




Ovarian Cancer


Book Description

If there is one aspect of current cancer research that represents a major ch- lenge in both novice and experienced researchers, it is the rapid advance in our understanding of the disease. Researchers can be required to switch from analysis of gene expression to kinetics of protein activation, from genetic studies to the analysis of protein funtion. Cancers are highly complex disease systems and researchers aiming to understand the functioning of cancer systems require access to a wide range of laboratory techiques from a broad range of research disciplines. Increasingly, however, published methods are incomplete or refer back to a series of previous publications each containing only a small part of the complete pro- col. The aim of Ovarian Cancer: Methods and Protocols is to provide for ovarian cancer researchers in the first instance, a laboratory handbook that will facilitate research into cancer systems by providing a series of expert protocols, with proven efficacy, across a broad range of technical expertise. Thus, there are sections on tumor genetics and cellular signal transduction, as well as sections on apoptosis and RNA analysis. The value of Ovarian Cancer: Methods and Protocols to the ovarian cancer researcher will, I trust, be considerably enhanced by (1) the provision of a series of overviews relating to the biology, diagnosis, and treatment of this important neoplasm, and (2) the provision of a series of technical overviews introducing each part that provides an expert review of the applications and pitfalls of the various techniques included.




PCR Protocols


Book Description

In this new edition, the editors have thoroughly updated and dramatically expanded the number of protocols to take advantage of the newest technologies used in all branches of research and clinical medicine today. These proven methods include real time PCR, SNP analysis, nested PCR, direct PCR, and long range PCR. Among the highlights are chapters on genome profiling by SAGE, differential display and chip technologies, the amplification of whole genome DNA by random degenerate oligonucleotide PCR, and the refinement of PCR methods for the analysis of fragmented DNA from fixed tissues. Each fully tested protocol is described in step-by-step detail by an established expert in the field and includes a background introduction outlining the principle behind the technique, equipment and reagent lists, tips on trouble shooting and avoiding known pitfalls, and, where needed, a discussion of the interpretation and use of results.




Principles and Technical Aspects of PCR Amplification


Book Description

Kary Mullis was awarded a Nobel Prize for inventing the PCR technique more than a decade ago in 1993. Since its "discovery", multiple adaptations and variations of the standard PCR technique have been described. This publication aims to provide the reader with a guide to the standard PCR technique and its many available variants, with particular emphasis being placed on the role of these PCR techniques in the clinical diagnostic laboratory (the central theme of this book).




Single Cell Diagnostics


Book Description

This book applies modern molecular diagnostic techniques to the analysis of single cells, small numbers of cells, or cell extracts. Emphasis is placed on non-invasive analysis of single cell metabolites and the direct analysis of RNA and DNA from single cells, with a focus on polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridization. In particular, this handbook is essential for practitioners providing care for couples seeking treatment for infertility.




PRINS and In Situ PCR Protocols


Book Description

The in situ hybridization and PCR technologies are now well-established molecular techniques for studying chromosomal aneuploidy and rearran- ments, gene localization and expression, and genomic organization. Over the last decade, we have seen increasing applications in these fields. By combining the high sensitivity of the PCR reaction and the cytological localization of target sequences, both PRINS and in situ PCR techniques have provided highly powerful complements to FISH for in situ cellular and molecular investigations. Both these approaches have several advantages in terms of sensitivity and specificity, owing to the use of primers and to the fast kinetics of annealing and elongation reactions in situ. In the first edition of PRINS and In Situ PCR Protocols edited by John R. Gosden, experts in the field presented in detail a variety of applications of PRINS and in situ PCR techniques, in a wide range of clinical conditions. Since the publication of this successful reference book, there have been s- nificant improvements in in situ detection techniques. This completely revised and updated second edition presents a compreh- sive selection of new procedures developed in the field of PRINS and in situ PCR technologies. The book has two sections. Part I, Basic Methodology, contains chapters that provide useful protocols for many variations of PRINS and in situ PCR, including a new fast multicolor PRINS method, and protocols for PRINS detection of unique sequences in situ.




Gene Quantification


Book Description

Geneticists and molecular biologists have been interested in quantifying genes and their products for many years and for various reasons (Bishop, 1974). Early molecular methods were based on molecular hybridization, and were devised shortly after Marmur and Doty (1961) first showed that denaturation of the double helix could be reversed - that the process of molecular reassociation was exquisitely sequence dependent. Gillespie and Spiegelman (1965) developed a way of using the method to titrate the number of copies of a probe within a target sequence in which the target sequence was fixed to a membrane support prior to hybridization with the probe - typically a RNA. Thus, this was a precursor to many of the methods still in use, and indeed under development, today. Early examples of the application of these methods included the measurement of the copy numbers in gene families such as the ribosomal genes and the immunoglo bulin family. Amplification of genes in tumors and in response to drug treatment was discovered by this method. In the same period, methods were invented for estimating gene num bers based on the kinetics of the reassociation process - the so-called Cot analysis. This method, which exploits the dependence of the rate of reassociation on the concentration of the two strands, revealed the presence of repeated sequences in the DNA of higher eukaryotes (Britten and Kohne, 1968). An adaptation to RNA, Rot analysis (Melli and Bishop, 1969), was used to measure the abundance of RNAs in a mixed population.




Rapid Cycle Real-Time PCR


Book Description

The first comprehensive treatise on Rapid Cycle Real-Time PCR. With amplification times of 15-30 minutes of on-line detection and analysis, nucleic acid quantification of mutation analysis finally becomes a routine, powerful and rapid method. Focusing primarily on the LightCycler, an instrument that combines Rapid Cycle PCR with fluorescent monitoring, this technology provides convenient analysis by melting temperatures. PCR products can be identified by product Tm, and single base mismatches can easily be genotyped by probe Tm. Methods chapters detail the theory behind quantification of mutation analysis; the design of synthesis of fluorescent hybridization probes of the preparation of template DNA. Application chapters apply nucleid acid quantification to infectious organisms of intracellular messengers and mutation detection to somatic of acquired mutations.