Researchers led by Jinfeng Liu from the State Key Lab of Seedling Bioengineering in Yinchuan, China, describe in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics their method to determine gene copy number. First, the researchers amplified a target and a control gene using PCR, which were quantified before being mixed at different molar ratios. Then, using real-time PCR, the researchers measured the quantification cycle value of the mixture. "A standard curve was constructed to correlate the differences between the Cq values and the logarithmic ratios of the target gene to the internal control gene," the researchers say, adding that "this method was validated by a set of internal control genes and a foreign gene in transgenic alfalfa, demonstrating the utility of this method in the determination of gene copy number for various applications."

Also in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, Manchester Cancer Research Centre's John Radford and his colleagues report that archival FFPE samples are useful for a number of microarray experiments, including molecular classification projects. Radford and his team compared fresh-frozen archival diffuse large B-cell lymphoma biopsy samples for use in such experiments. "Enrichment for NF-B genes was appropriately seen in ABC-DLBCL FFPE tissues," the researchers report. "The top discriminatory genes expressed in FFPE separated cases with high statistical significance and contained novel biology with potential therapeutic insights, warranting further investigation."

Originally posted here:
This Week in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics