Carrying Out Q-PCR

Having introduced some of the concepts of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) in the previous chapter, this chapter deals with some of the more practical considerations for setting up and running Q-PCR. It provides information about reagents, commercially available kits, and suppliers as well as suggesting some basic protocols that can be easily modified by the user. Additionally, it describes how to analyze data using the ΔΔCt method and how this can be converted into fold-changes to give an indication of differential gene expression, normalized to a reference or housekeeping control.