Monitoring Stemness in Long-Term hESC Cultures by Real-Time PCR.
Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) involve long-term cultures that must remain undifferentiated. The real-time PCR (RT-PCR) technique allows the relative quantification of target genes, including undifferentiation and differentiation markers when referred to a housekeeping control with the addition of a calibrator that serves as an internal control to compare different lots of reactions during the time. The main aspects will include a minimal number of cells to be analyzed, genes to be tested, and how to choose the appropriate calibrator sample and the reference gene. In this chapter, we present how to apply the RT-PCR technique, protocols for its performance, experimental setup, and software analysis, as of the gene expression of hESC lines in consecutive passages for long-term culture surveillance.
Gene Expression and RNA Metabolism, Prince Felipe Research Center (CIPF), Valencia, Spain.
Amparo
A
Galán
Carlos
C
Simón
D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D000066449:Human Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000378:metabolism; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012015:Reference Standards; D012984:Software; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013997:Time Factors
D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; C494173:POU5F1 protein, human