It has long been known that certain proteins, known as transcription factors, directly control the way in which information is read from DNA. As a result, it is widely believed that changes in genes encoding such proteins underlie the mechanisms responsible for evolutionary adaptation. The idea that small RNA molecules, so-called microRNAs, may play an [...]
Numerous viruses are used in the service of science today. They serve as gene taxis to transfer therapeutic genes into body cells or as therapeutic viruses targeted to infect and destroy cancer cells. For such applications, the viruses are often equipped with additional genes, such as for immune mediators or for proteins inducing programmed cell [...]
Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) has become the gold standard for validating DNA microarray data and is routinely used to determine gene expression differences between a wide variety of samples. The exquisite sensitivity of the technology permits the detection of a single copy of a target gene in a sample which has led to qPCR now [...]
Some of the technical challenges in qPCR research can be traced back to the reverse transcription step and the synthesis of cDNA for qPCR analysis. Limitations in the maximum amount of template RNA that can be added to an RT reaction make it tougher to detect low-abundant target genes and limits the amount of data [...]
Ever wonder how having a fever might affect RNA processing? While that may not be the first thing on your mind while you are lying sick in bed, it is still an intriguing question for molecular biologists. A team of scientists at the CSIC has shown that temperature can play a critical role in the [...]
