Single well, single-common primer pair, dual probe, duplex qPCR assay for the quantification of mRNA splicing variants.

Quantifying the ratio of alternatively spliced mRNA variants of genes with known alternative splicing variants is highly relevant for many applications. Herein, we describe the validation of a quantitative PCR design for the simplified quantification of known mRNA splice variants. The assay uses a single-common primer pair, dual probe design for the determination of splicing variants in a single well configuration.

Evidence of Superior and Inferior Sinoatrial Nodes in the Mammalian Heart.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate the shift of leading pacemaker locations in healthy and failing mammalian hearts over the entire range of physiological heart rates (HRs), and to molecularly characterize spatial regions of spontaneous activity.

Background: A normal heartbeat originates as an action potential in a group of pacemaker cells known as the sinoatrial node (SAN), located near the superior vena cava. HRs and the anatomical site of origin of pacemaker activity in the adult heart are known to dynamically change in response to various physiological inputs, yet the mechanism of this pacemaker shift is not well understood.