Sep 03, 2024
qPCR to measure mRNA expression in S. rosetta
- Fredrick leon1,
- David Booth2
- 1UCSF;
- 2University of California, San Francisco
External link: https://doi.org/10.1128/msphere.00917-24
Protocol Citation: Fredrick leon, David Booth 2024. qPCR to measure mRNA expression in S. rosetta. protocols.io https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.n2bvjnjongk5/v1
Manuscript citation:
Leon F, Espinoza-Esparza JM, Deng V, Coyle MC, Espinoza S, Booth DS Cell differentiation controls iron assimilation in the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta. mSphere 10(3). doi: 10.1128/msphere.00917-24
License: This is an open access protocol distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Protocol status: Working
We use this protocol and it's working
Created: August 06, 2024
Last Modified: September 03, 2024
Protocol Integer ID: 104839
Keywords: quantifying transcript abundance, qpcr reaction, protocol tailors common qpcr method, common qpcr method, synthesis of ssdna standard, qpcr, mrna expression, mrna, ssdna standard, cdna synthesis protocol, primer design, ssdna
Abstract
This protocol tailors common qPCR methods for quantifying transcript abundance in S. rosetta. The protocol covers primer design, synthesis of ssDNA standards, and assembling the qPCR reaction. It builds upon the preferential lysis and cDNA synthesis protocols and links to relevant guides and calculators for ease of use.
Protocol materials
Lambda Exonuclease - 1,000 unitsNew England BiolabsCatalog #M0262S
Luna Universal qPCR Master Mix - 2,500 rxnsNew England BiolabsCatalog #M3003E
Magnetic mRNA Isolation Kit - 25 isolationsNew England BiolabsCatalog #S1550S
Qubit ssDNA kitThermo Fisher ScientificCatalog #Q10212
Troubleshooting
Primer design
Search for your gene of interest here https://protists.ensembl.org/Salpingoeca_rosetta_gca_000188695/Info/Index
After opening the gene page, click the "Sequence" tab on the left-hand column to display the gene's exons. From there click download sequence and select "cDNA". Reference the exon sequences on this page as you design primers or manually annotate exons in the cDNA file downloaded.
To begin qPCR primer design, primers must span exon-exon junctions, which should be previously annotated from the step above. A good source on qPCR primer design can be found here https://www.bio-rad.com/en-us/applications-technologies/qpcr-assay-design-optimization?ID=LUSO7RIVK
Generally, select 19-20 bp spanning an exon junction, with a GC content of 50-60% and a tm of 50-65°C. The final amplicon should be 75-200 bp, so pick your second primer accordingly, which should also span an exon junction.
Note
If your qPCR is to test the effects of a KO mutation, you'll want the entirety of the amplicon to be downstream of the PTS insertion because transcription will likely read through until the PTS. If the amplicon is before the PTS insert, the qPCR will likely result in no or less of a decrease in expression.
Note
qPCR primers must span exon-exon junctions to avoid genomic DNA amplification.
Primer validation
Amplification validation:
Select your qPCR reaction mix (we used NEB luna qPCR master mix), and use cDNA (previously synthesized, protocols for preferential lysis, RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis) as template, test amplification in the qPCR master mix by following the manufacturer's protocols. Run the completed reaction on a 1% agarose gel and check that the amplicon is the expected size and that there is only one amplicon.
Luna Universal qPCR Master Mix - 2,500 rxnsNew England BiolabsCatalog #M3003E
Amplification efficiency:
To test the efficiency of amplification, you'll need to make a standard curve that as closely as possible matches your input material for the final qPCR reaction. In our case, this was ssDNA from cDNA synthesis. Therefore, our standard curve was composed of ssDNA matching the template or antisense strand of our gene since that's the product of cDNA synthesis.
ssDNA standard synthesis:
ssDNA standards were generated from PCR products amplified from cDNA with a forward primer that was 5’ phosphorylated to promote Lambda exonuclease digestion of that strand and a reverse primer with phosphorothioate bonds between the first four 5’ nucleotides to block digestion. Those PCR products were then digested with Lambda exonuclease following NEB’s protocol.
| Components | 50 μl REACTION | |
| DNA | up to 5 μg | |
| Lambda Exonuclease Reaction Buffer (10X) | 5 μl (1X) | |
| Lambda Exonuclease | 1 μl (5 units) | |
| Nuclease-free H2O | up to 50 μl |
Lambda Exonuclease - 1,000 unitsNew England BiolabsCatalog #M0262S
ssDNA standard concentration determination:
ssDNA concentrations were determined by Qubit ssDNA Assay Kit by creating a standard curve with the provided standards (0 ng/μl and 20 ng/μl, making serial dilutions of the 20 ng/μl standard to generate the in-between concentrations). 50 µL of standards and digested ssDNA template were placed in a clear bottom 96 well plate and then measured for fluorescence (Ex = 500 nm / Em=540 nm) on a plate reader.
Once the sample concentration was determined, DNA copy number determined by this online calculator https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/brands/thermo-scientific/molecular-biology/molecular-biology-learning-center/molecular-biology-resource-library/thermo-scientific-web-tools/dna-copy-number-calculator.html
Qubit ssDNA kitThermo Fisher ScientificCatalog #Q10212
Standard dilutions:
Serially dilute the ssDNA standards from 105 to 100 copies/µl in a solution with 10 ng/µl of S. rosetta total RNA (after removing mRNAs) to account for any matrix effects.
Making S. rosetta total RNA without mRNAs for resuspending qPCR standards:
The lysate was then purified via the total RNA clean up kit according to the RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis protocol
Using NEBs magnetic mRNA isolation kit:
1. 50 µL beads were equilibrated in 200 µL binding buffer provided in the kit
2. Place the equilibrated beads on a magnet and remove the supernatant
3. Resuspend the beads with 250 µL total purified RNA and incubate at Room temperature for 00:10:00
4. Place the incubated beads on a magnet, taking and keeping the supernatant. This is total RNA without mRNAs.
5. Spec the total RNA by nanodrop or qubit and dilute in RNase free water to 10 ng/µl.
Magnetic mRNA Isolation Kit - 25 isolationsNew England BiolabsCatalog #S1550S
10m
qPCR
Using the NEB Luna qPCR master mix, set up the following reaction according to the manufacturer, with 3 µL of sample cDNA and of each standard previously made, all in triplicate. Scale accordingly
| A | B | C | |
| COMPONENT | 20 µl REACTION | FINAL CONCENTRATION | |
| Luna Universal qPCR Master Mix | 10 µl | 1X | |
| Forward primer (10 µM) | 0.5 µl | 0.25 µM | |
| Reverse primer (10 µM) | 0.5 µl | 0.25 µM | |
| Template DNA | variable | < 100 ng | |
| Nuclease-free Water | to 20 µl |
Luna Universal qPCR Master Mix - 2,500 rxnsNew England BiolabsCatalog #M3003E
Cover the plate with an optically clear cover and then cycle the reactions according to the manufacturer on a qPCR machine (We use an Applied Biosystems Quantstudio 3). Measure fluorescence in the FAM/SYBR Green Channel when using the NEB Luna qPCR Master Mix.
| A | B | C | D | |
| CYCLE STEP | TEMPERATURE | TIME | CYCLES | |
| Initial Denaturation | 95°C | 60 seconds | 1 | |
| Denaturation | 95°C | 15 seconds | 40-45 | |
| Extension | 60°C | 30 seconds (+plate read) | ||
| Melt Curve | 60-95°C* | various | 1 |
*The melt curve step is optional but is useful to confirm that only a single target was amplified.