Reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and its usefulness in soil microbial ecological studies - A review

Abstract

The reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a highly specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method that allows one to detect very low transcription levels of functional gene(s) in soil. RT-qPCR helps us to know the active members of the microbial community, and their activities can be linked with other ecological processes in soil. If after the extraction of RNA from soil, the mRNA is converted to cDNA which is then sequenced, one would analyze directly the active members of the microbial community.

Key words: Complementary DNA (cDNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), soil microbial study, microbial community.