Quantitative transcript analysis in plants: improved first-strand cDNA synthesis.
The quantity and quality of first-strand cDNA directly influence the accuracy of transcriptional analysis and quantification. Using a plant-derived alpha-tubulin as a model system, the effect of oligo sequence and DTT on the quality and quantity of first-strand cDNA synthesis was assessed via a combination of semi-quantitative PCR and real-time PCR. The results indicated that anchored oligo dT significantly improved the quantity and quality of alpha-tubulin cDNA compared to the conventional oligo dT. Similarly, omitting DTT from the first-strand cDNA synthesis also enhanced the levels of transcript. This is the first time that a comparative analysis has been undertaken for a plant system and it shows conclusively that small changes to current protocols can have very significant impact on transcript analysis.