Statistical significance of quantitative PCR

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>PCR has the potential to detect and precisely quantify specific DNA sequences, but it is not yet often used as a fully quantitative method. A number of data collection and processing strategies have been described for the implementat...

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Main Authors: Mazza Christian, Perseguers Sébastien, McNair Alan, Karlen Yann, Mermod Nicolas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2007-04-01
Series:BMC Bioinformatics
Online Access:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/8/131
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author Mazza Christian
Perseguers Sébastien
McNair Alan
Karlen Yann
Mermod Nicolas
author_facet Mazza Christian
Perseguers Sébastien
McNair Alan
Karlen Yann
Mermod Nicolas
author_sort Mazza Christian
collection DOAJ
description <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>PCR has the potential to detect and precisely quantify specific DNA sequences, but it is not yet often used as a fully quantitative method. A number of data collection and processing strategies have been described for the implementation of quantitative PCR. However, they can be experimentally cumbersome, their relative performances have not been evaluated systematically, and they often remain poorly validated statistically and/or experimentally. In this study, we evaluated the performance of known methods, and compared them with newly developed data processing strategies in terms of resolution, precision and robustness.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our results indicate that simple methods that do not rely on the estimation of the efficiency of the PCR amplification may provide reproducible and sensitive data, but that they do not quantify DNA with precision. Other evaluated methods based on sigmoidal or exponential curve fitting were generally of both poor resolution and precision. A statistical analysis of the parameters that influence efficiency indicated that it depends mostly on the selected amplicon and to a lesser extent on the particular biological sample analyzed. Thus, we devised various strategies based on individual or averaged efficiency values, which were used to assess the regulated expression of several genes in response to a growth factor.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Overall, qPCR data analysis methods differ significantly in their performance, and this analysis identifies methods that provide DNA quantification estimates of high precision, robustness and reliability. These methods allow reliable estimations of relative expression ratio of two-fold or higher, and our analysis provides an estimation of the number of biological samples that have to be analyzed to achieve a given precision.</p>
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spelling doaj.art-d4ba7cef2ff6409bb310ae10cafc32f42022-12-21T19:12:03ZengBMCBMC Bioinformatics1471-21052007-04-018113110.1186/1471-2105-8-131Statistical significance of quantitative PCRMazza ChristianPerseguers SébastienMcNair AlanKarlen YannMermod Nicolas<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>PCR has the potential to detect and precisely quantify specific DNA sequences, but it is not yet often used as a fully quantitative method. A number of data collection and processing strategies have been described for the implementation of quantitative PCR. However, they can be experimentally cumbersome, their relative performances have not been evaluated systematically, and they often remain poorly validated statistically and/or experimentally. In this study, we evaluated the performance of known methods, and compared them with newly developed data processing strategies in terms of resolution, precision and robustness.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our results indicate that simple methods that do not rely on the estimation of the efficiency of the PCR amplification may provide reproducible and sensitive data, but that they do not quantify DNA with precision. Other evaluated methods based on sigmoidal or exponential curve fitting were generally of both poor resolution and precision. A statistical analysis of the parameters that influence efficiency indicated that it depends mostly on the selected amplicon and to a lesser extent on the particular biological sample analyzed. Thus, we devised various strategies based on individual or averaged efficiency values, which were used to assess the regulated expression of several genes in response to a growth factor.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Overall, qPCR data analysis methods differ significantly in their performance, and this analysis identifies methods that provide DNA quantification estimates of high precision, robustness and reliability. These methods allow reliable estimations of relative expression ratio of two-fold or higher, and our analysis provides an estimation of the number of biological samples that have to be analyzed to achieve a given precision.</p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/8/131
spellingShingle Mazza Christian
Perseguers Sébastien
McNair Alan
Karlen Yann
Mermod Nicolas
Statistical significance of quantitative PCR
BMC Bioinformatics
title Statistical significance of quantitative PCR
title_full Statistical significance of quantitative PCR
title_fullStr Statistical significance of quantitative PCR
title_full_unstemmed Statistical significance of quantitative PCR
title_short Statistical significance of quantitative PCR
title_sort statistical significance of quantitative pcr
url http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/8/131
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AT mermodnicolas statisticalsignificanceofquantitativepcr