Validating Microarray Data Using
RT2 Real-Time PCR
By George Quellhorst, Ying Han, and Ray Blanchard
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This paper describes the use of real-time PCR for the confirmation of microarray data.
Current publication guidelines require that all microarray results are confirmed by an
independent gene expression profiling method. Real-time PCR is the method of choice
for most researchers but it is not without drawbacks. The first step in confirming array
results by real-time PCR is selection of gene-specific primer pairs. The process of
design and optimization of gene-specific primer pairs can be a major bottleneck to array
confirmation. With this in mind, SABiosciences has developed RT2 Primer Sets™: pretested primer sets available for every human, mouse, and rat gene. RT2 Primer Sets
allow you to quickly confirm any array result, removing the bottleneck of primer design
and optimization and making them very cost effective. RT2 Primer Sets are designed for
use with SYBR Green real-time PCR detection and can be used on almost any real-time
PCR system. This paper shows how RT2 Primer Sets help research projects progress
more rapidly and with less effort. A complete walk-through of an experiment using RT2
Primer Sets is provided along with discussion of considerations for successful real-time
RT2 Primer Sets™ are a trademark of SABiosciences Corpoaration.
SYBR Green® is a registered trademark of Molecular Probes, Inc.
Applied Biosystems is a registered trademark of Applera Corporation
iCycler is a registered trademark of Bio-Rad Laboratories
Real-time PCR and SYBR Green Detection
Real-time PCR monitors the amount of amplicon generated as the reaction occurs. Usually, the
amount of product is directly related to the fluorescence of a reporter dye. Because it detects the
amount of product as the reaction progresses, real-time PCR provides a wide linear dynamic
range, demonstrates high sensitivity, and is very quantitative. The initial amount of template DNA
is inversely proportional to a parameter measured for each reaction, the threshold cycle (Ct).
SYBR Green-based detection is the least expensive and easiest method available for real-time
PCR. Other detection methods (such as TaqMan chemistry) require expensive oligonucleotide
probes labeled with fluorescent reporter dyes. Most real-time systems detect and accommodate
SYBR Green making the method very flexible. SYBR Green specifically binds double-stranded
DNA by intercalating between base pairs, and fluoresces only when bound to dsDNA. Detection
of the fluorescent signal occurs during the PCR cycle at the end of either the annealing or
extension steps when the greatest amount of double-stranded DNA product is present. However,
SYBR Green detects any double-stranded DNA non-specifically. Therefore, PCRs using this
detection method must generate single, gene-specific amplicons without the co-amplification of
non-specific secondary products.
RT2 Real-Time™ PCR Primer Sets and Master Mixes
Primers self-designed by researchers fail nearly 50 percent of the time, yielding non-specific
amplification products and primer dimers. Pre-tested RT2 Primer Sets save significant time and
effort. Primer sets are available for any gene in the human, mouse or rat genome in 24-reaction
and 200-reaction scales. Each primer set is designed by an experimentally verified computer
algorithm and then tested in a quality control assay to guarantee that they yield a single band of
the predicted size by agarose gel electrophoresis. RT2 PCR Primer Sets and RT2 PCR Master
Mixes combine to generate a complete assay optimized for SYBR Green-based detection on any
RT2 Real-Time™ PCR Master Mixes are available with SYBR Green already added to the
appropriate concentration for real-time PCR. Each is ready-to-use as a 2X solution. Instrument
specific master mixes are available for Applied Biosystems real-time instruments as well as for
the BioRad iCylcer. Each PCR master mix incorporates the reference dye required by the
instrument manufacturer (ROX for ABI instruments, fluorescein for the BioRad iCylcer). A generic
SYBR Green PCR master mix is also available without reference dye for use with other real-time
instruments (such as the Cepheid SmartCycler).
Protocol for Microarray Data Verification
This protocol will describe how a result obtained by microarray analysis can be confirmed by realtime PCR. The microarray result used in this example shows that the expression of the human
TNFAIP3 gene increases in HeLa cells upon treatment with TNFα (Figure 1). This experiment
represents the simplest possible example involving one control sample, one experimental
sample, and one gene-of-interest. More complicated analyses require a correspondingly more
complicated experimental setup and protocol. For demonstration purposes, this protocol will
describe the use of reagents available from SABiosciences including a complete reagent kit for
reverse transcription, the ReactionReady™ First Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit (Cat. No. C-01), as
well as RT2 PCR Primer Sets and Master Mixes.
Validating Microarray Data
Figure 1: Induction of TNFAIP3 gene expression in HeLa cells upon TNFα treatment. Total RNA (3 μg) isolated from
untreated or treated (TNFα, 20 ng/ml, 30 min) HeLa cells was characterized with the Oligo GEArray® Human NFkB
Signaling Pathway Microarray (OHS-025, left and right panels, respectively). The expression of TNFAIP3 increases 8.6fold with treatment. Figure 1: Induction of TNFAIP3 gene expression in HeLa cells upon TNFα treatment.
Reverse transcription enzymatically converts RNA into first strand cDNA, the substrate or
template for the polymerase chain reaction. Each RNA sample requires one standard reverse
transcription reaction: the control RNA (mock-treated), the experimental RNA (TNFα treated), and
a source of reference RNA, for example, XpressRef™ Universal Reference Total RNA from
SABiosciences (Cat. No. GA-004). The reference RNA sample will serve as a source of gene
expression for either the standard (calibration) curve or the positive control. Each reaction
generates enough of each cDNA template for at least 20 polymerase chain reactions. Follow the
protocol below using the ReactionReady™ First Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit.
1. Prepare Annealing Mixtures:
For each RNA sample, combine the following in a sterile PCR tube:
Buffer P (Random Primers)
1.0 to 5.0 μg
Adjust the final volume to 10 μl
Mix well. Incubate at 70 °C for 3 minutes, then at 37 °C for 10 minutes. This step melts any RNA
secondary structure and allows the random primers to anneal to the RNA.
2. Prepare the RT Cocktail:
Combine the following in a sterile PCR tube:
5X RT Buffer (BC)
RNase Inhibitor (RI)
Reverse Transcriptase (RE)
3. Perform the RT Reaction:
Pre-warm the RT Cocktail at 37 °C for 1 minute. Add 10 μl of the RT Cocktail to each Annealing
Mixture. Incubate at 37 °C for 60 minutes to generate first strand cDNA. To prevent them from
interfering with the next step, heat-inactivate the reverse transcriptase and degrade the RNA at
95 °C for 5 minutes. Store the reaction on ice while planning the reactions below.
Relative gene expression profiling does not require absolute quantification, and fold-changes in
gene expression are unit-less numbers. The absolute amount of message in the original RNA
sample does not need to be known. The RNA source that you choose simply needs to express
the gene of interest. In vitro transcripts or full-length cDNA clones are not necessary.
Instead, choose your template based on your microarray results and the relative availability of the
RNA. Specifically, use your control template (from RNA from control-treated cells) for downregulated genes, or use your experimental RNA (from RNA from TNFα treated cells) for upregulated genes. However, you may be verifying several up- and down-regulated genes at the
same time. Or, you may be verifying the regulation of genes in several samples in which gene
expression may increase or decrease depending on the sample or the gene. In these more
complicated cases, generate a mixture of equal volumes of each template for the standard curve.
This method still provides a calibration curve that faithfully represents each gene. Also use this
method if the amount of RNA or cDNA template material available from your control and/or
experiment samples is precious or limiting. Alternatively, use template generated from reference
RNA to conserve control and/or experimental RNA or if you are still not sure which template or
what combination of templates is the best.
Carefully plan the setup of your standard curve. Prepare duplicate sets of five (5) 10-fold serial
dilutions of one of the cDNA templates. More replicates are not necessary, because the serial
dilution themselves serve to control for systematic variation. However, very accurate pipeting is
absolutely critical for generating accurate real-time PCR results. Use a calibrated P10 or P2
Also, plan to include two different control reactions. Set up one positive control using the cDNA
template generated from the reference RNA. If you are already using this template to setup the
standard curve, there is no need for this extra reaction. Alternatively and if available, you may
also use a full-length cDNA clone of the gene of interest. The positive control reaction should
generate product and give a reasonable threshold cycle value. (See below.) Also set up one
negative control (also known as the water control) that lacks any cDNA template entirely. This
reaction provides an indication of the relative amount of DNA contamination or rare non-specific
secondary products, in other words, the background amount of template in your reagents. Any
other reactions generating threshold cycles greater than the negative control should be ignored
because the amount of template lies below the limit of detection of the assay.
Some investigators also perform “minus-RT” controls to test for genomic DNA contamination in
the original RNA sample. These controls require another mock reverse transcription reaction that
lacks the enzyme for each RNA sample. Only genomic DNA in the sample would generate a PCR
product, because no cDNA derived from mRNA would be present. In most cases, genomic DNA
contamination is at a low enough level (yielding ΔCt values greater the 6, see below) that it does
not interfere with relative gene expression profiling. However, this control can be performed once
to test your RNA isolation technique.
Finally, plan the set up of your unknown control and experimental samples. Prepare replicate sets
of serial dilutions of the control and experimental templates, for example, triplicates of two
Validating Microarray Data
different 10-fold dilutions. For most purposes, three is a sufficient number of replicates. The
preparation of these serial dilutions also helps insure that the resulting reactions will fall on the
Set up replicates of all of these reactions (standard curve, controls, and samples) for all of the
genes of interest and for an appropriate housekeeping gene. The relative expression of this
housekeeping gene will be used to normalize the expression of the genes of interest to control for
sample-to-sample systematic variation. If applicable, use the same housekeeping gene that was
used for your microarray data analysis. In summary, the total number of reactions required for
each gene in this experimental set up is:
10 (5-point standard curve in duplicate)
2 (positive and negative controls)
6 (two control template amounts in triplicate)
+ 6 (two treatment template amounts in triplicate)
= 24 reactions
Note that SABiosciences offers RT2 Primer Sets in a 24 reaction size to accommodate experiments
such as the one described here.
Polymerase Chain Reactions:
Each of the 24 reactions for each gene contains:
2X PCR Cocktail
Completed RT Reaction (template cDNA), or dilution thereof
RT2 Real-Time™ PCR Primer Set
10X reference dye stock (if needed)
Adjust final volume with ddH2O
Very accurate pipeting is the most critical factor in generating accurate real-time PCR results.
Use a calibrated P10 or P2 pipettor. Alternatively, generate a scaled-up pre-mix containing PCR
cocktail, dyes, and primers for the same gene. Aliquot into individual PCR tubes using a repeating
or perhaps even a digital, electronic pipettor, and then add the appropriate serial dilution of the
Place tubes in real-time thermal cycler. Enter the following program:
95 °C, 15 min; 40 cycles of (95 °C, 30 sec; 55 °C, 30 sec; and 72 °C, 30 sec); 72 °C, 5 min
Turn the OPTICS ON at end of annealing step. Proceed with the melting (dissociation) curve
described below and then perform the data analysis with your instrument’s software to determine
the threshold cycle for each reaction.
Gene Expression Profiling with Real-Time PCR: Generating a Standard Curve
Reactions containing a greater amount of the initial template substrate generate a detectable
amount of product (a detectable signal) earlier than reactions containing a smaller amount of
template. Appearance of detectable fluorescence at an earlier cycle number indicates a greater
amount of initial template substrate. The detectable amount of fluorescence, a signal significantly
greater than background, is known as the threshold. The cycle during which a reaction emits that
threshold level of fluorescence is known as the threshold cycle, abbreviated Ct. (See Figure 2A.)
Assuming the reverse transcription faithfully represents the initial RNA sample, the initial amount
of template substrate measures the relative gene expression level. Therefore, gene expression is
inversely proportional to the reaction’s threshold cycle.
To generate the standard (or calibration) curve, plot the threshold cycle for the standard curve
reactions against the fold dilution of the template cDNA on a semi-logarithmic (base 10) plot.
Determine the fit to a straight line including the slope and the correlation factor (R2). (See Figure
2B.) Check the observed threshold cycle of the negative (water only) control if the instrument was
able to detect product in that reaction at all. Make sure that all Ct values used in the analysis are
less than that control. Be sure that all experimental Ct values lie in the linear dynamic range of the
assay (on the standard or calibration curve).
Using the standard curve, determine the relative level of expression of the genes of interest and
the housekeeping gene for all experimental samples. (See Figure 2B.) Normalize the expression
level of the gene of interest by dividing by the relative expression level for the housekeeping gene
for the same sample. Finally to calculate the fold-change in gene expression, divide the
normalized number for the experimental sample by the normalized number for the control sample
as seen in Figure 2C.
0.17 / 0.14
0.0048 / 0.13
= 32.9 fold-change in TNFAIP3 expression
Figure 2: The method for determining relative gene expression profiles by real-time PCR involves the generation
and use of a standard or calibration curve. In Panel A, the threshold cycle for each reaction occurs when its
fluorescent reading increases significantly above the background. In Panel B, the threshold cycle for each standard curve
reaction, for both the gene of interest and the housekeeping gene, is plotted against its corresponding dilution factor. The
relative amount of gene expression in the experimental samples is determined using their threshold cycles and the
standard curve. The upper part of Panel B shows calculation of TNFAIP3 and GAPD levels for the untreated sample. The
lower part of Panel B shows calculation of TNFAIP3 and GAPD levels for the TNFα-treated sample. Panel C shows
calculation of the fold-change in TNFAIP3 gene expression in TNFα treated cells relative to control-treated cells. Panel D
displays the conventional or end-point RT-PCR verification results for the same experiment.
Validating Microarray Data
Note in Figure 2 that all of the unknown samples lie on the standard curve and that the change in
TNFAIP3 gene expression is also clearly visible on that curve. The real-time PCR result confirms
the direction of the change in gene expression observed by the microarray analysis. However, the
magnitude of the fold-change in gene expression (32.9 fold) is larger in the real-time experiment.
Microarrays tend to show suppressed changes in expression due to their narrower dynamic range
relative to real-time PCR. The change in gene expression is also very clearly visible by
conventional (end-point) PCR on an agarose gel (Figure 2D); however, the magnitude here is
also suppressed to a level similar to the microarray result.
As mentioned, SYBR Green-based detection for real-time PCR only works if only one genespecific amplicon is generated during the reaction. Unlike TaqMan-based assays, SYBR Green
detection also uniquely allows you to check the specificity of the PCR using dissociation curves
(also known as melting curves). After the 40 reaction cycles, perform a temperature ramp using
the following program:
95 °C, 1 min; 65 °C, 2 min (OPTICS OFF); 65 °C to 95 °C at 2 °C / sec (OPTICS ON)
At low temperature, the PCR DNA product is double stranded, and it binds SYBR Green, which
fluoresces. With increasing temperature, the DNA product melts or dissociates becoming single
stranded, releasing SYBR Green and decreasing the fluorescent signal. Most real-time
instruments usually plot melting curves as a first derivative. The inflection point in the melting
curve then becomes a peak. (See Figure 3A.) Single peaks indicate a single product, which can
be verified upon characterization of the product by agarose gel electrophoresis, as in Figure 3B.
Multiple peaks usually indicate multiple products. These other products can have many sources
including primer dimers, and genomic DNA contamination, but more frequently, they arise from
unreported (un-annotated) splice variants of the gene of interest. (See Figure 3C.)
Figure 3: The SYBR Green based detection method uniquely permits a check of the reactions’ specificity.
Panel A displays the first-derivative melting curve for reactions each characterizing the expression of a different member
of the BMP gene family. In each case, the curve contains only one peak indicating that the reaction generates only one
product. Panel B confirms the melting curve results by demonstrating that these same reactions also generate only one
band of the predicted size by agarose gel electrophoresis. Panel C includes an example of a primer set that detected a
previously unknown splice variant or alternative transcript of a gene by generating a second amplicon product. As a result,
two peaks appear in the first derivative melting curve and two bands appear by agarose gel electrophoresis.
Shortcuts for High-Throughput Applications: ΔΔCt Methods
For high-throughput real-time PCR applications particularly when the expression of a few genes
across multiple samples is being analyzed, mathematical shortcuts can be applied to replace the
repeated determination of standard or calibration curves. However, these methods only work with
low error rates if the repeated determination of the calibration curves on the same genes of
interest and the housekeeping genes demonstrate reproducibility and high or at least similar
amplification efficiencies. Use this method only if the replication efficiencies for your gene of
interest and the housekeeping gene are the same or similar.
Simply perform replicate reactions for each gene of interest and for the housekeeping gene for
each sample under conditions known to yield Ct values that lie on the standard or calibration
curve. To compare gene expression between biological samples, first calculate the ΔΔCt in the
following fashion. (See also Figure 4.) A ΔCt value is calculated for each sample as the difference
between the Ct values for the gene of interest and the housekeeping gene in each sample. The
ΔΔCt value is the difference between the ΔCt values of an experimental sample and the control
sample. The fold-change in gene expression is equal to 2
if the PCR replication efficiency for
all genes is 100 percent. That is, the amount of the amplicon product perfectly doubles with each
cycle. The PCR amplification efficiency can be determined from the slope of the calibration curve.
A slope (m) equal to -3.3 indicates 100 percent efficiency. If the PCR efficiency is less than 1 (that
is, if the slope of the calibration curves is greater than –3.3), then the fold-change in gene
, where m is the average slope of the calibration curves for the
expression is equal to 10
gene of interest and the housekeeping gene.
Standard curves: TNFAIP3:
Average slope m = ½ (- 3.302 - 3.351) = -3.327
TNFα untreated: Ct(TNFAIP3)=24.25
ΔCt (treated) = Ct (TNFAIP3) - Ct (GAPD) = 19.17 – 16.36 = 2.81
ΔCt (untreated) = Ct (TNFAIP3) - Ct (GAPD) = 24.25 – 16.49 = 7.76
ΔΔCt = ΔCt (treated) - ΔCt (untreated) = 2.81 – 7.76 = -4.95
The fold-change in TNFAIP3 expression = 2-ΔΔCt = 24.95 = 30.9
Or the fold-change in TNFAIP3 expression = 10ΔΔCt/m = 10-4.95/-3.327 = 30.8
Error = |(30.9- 32.9)|/32.9 = 6%
Figure 4: The fold-change in TNFAIP3 gene expression between TNFα and control treated cells is calculated
using the data from Figure 2 and the mathematical shortcuts described in the text.
For publication purposes, microarray results require verification and validation by an alternative
and complementary gene expression profiling method. Real-time PCR is the most rigorous and
commonly used technology for this purpose, and SYBR Green is the easiest and least expensive
real-time PCR detection method. SABiosciences' pre-tested RT2 Primer Sets and instrumentspecific RT2 Real-Time PCR Master Mixes are flexible enough to fit the equipment and systems
in your laboratory. When using these assays to validate your microarray data, be sure to plan
your experiment carefully. Include standard curves, positive and negative controls, and replicates
of different unknown template amounts. Perform reactions for all genes of interest and a suitable
housekeeping gene. With this setup, the determination of relative gene expression using real-time
PCR for microarray data verification becomes very simple. SYBR Green also has the unique
ability to allow for a specificity check and is easily applicable to high-throughput analyses.
Validating Microarray Data