@conference{
author = "Bogdanović, Milica and Dragićević, Milan and Simonović, Ana and Tanić, Nikola and Mišić, Danijela and Grubišić, Dragoljub",
year = "2010",
abstract = "18S rRNA is widely used as a housekeeping gene in expression studies, including end-point PCR, Northern blotting and real-time experiments. There are, however, two disadvantages (and two points of error introduction) in using 18S rRNA as a reference gene. First, 18S has no poly-A tail, so it is traditionally reverse transcribed with either specific primers or random hexamers, e.g. separately from poly(dT)-primed transcripts. Secondly, due to its abundance, estimated to be ≈2.5 x 105 higher than an averagely expressed mRNA, the 18S cDNA must be diluted 1000-10.000 times to be comparable to the tested genes. Hereby we present that 18S rRNA can be successfully reverse transcribed using poly(dT)18 primers in all representative plant species tested: a moss, Physcomitrella patens, a fern, Adiantum capillus-veneris, a monocot, Zea mays and two dicots - Centaurium erythraea and Arabidopsis thaliana. The efficiency of the poly(dT)-primed RT was confirmed by end-point PCR and quantified by qPCR with 18S-specific primers. The efficiency of RT (miss)priming using poly(dT)18 was 90-900 times less effective than specific priming, depending on the species’ 18S sequence. Using poly(dT)18 primers for 18S RT circumvents both above mentioned obstacles, eliminating not only the need for separate RT mixtures, but also the need for 18S cDNA dilution. For theoretical rather than practical reason, all other homopolymers, poly(dA)18, poly(dC)18 and poly(dG)18, were also tested, and all were efficient as 18S RT primers. Poly(dC)18 was as efficient as specific primer, and the only one that interfered with PCR, giving species-specific pattern of products in addition to the product of expected size. The comparative results of RT-PCR and RT-qPCR of 18S rRNA with different RT primers (all homopolymers, specific primers and random hexamers) and specific PCR primers, for all five species are presented. The possible mechanism of homopolymeric (miss)priming is discussed.",
publisher = "European Molecular Biology Laboratory",
journal = "9th EMBL Conference on Transcription and Chromatin; 2010 Aug 28-31; Heidelberg, Germany",
title = "Homopolymeric priming of 18S rRNA in reverse transcription",
pages = "108",
url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_ibiss_6170"
}