Can I use TaqMan Gene Expression Assays for a gene copy number study?
TaqMan Gene Expression Assays with “_s1” as assay ID suffix are the assays whose primers and probes are designed within a single exon, and therefore, will detect genomic DNA. However, the application of these assays in gene copy number studies has not been validated. Other gene expression assays will not detect gDNA, let alone the region of variance.
What type of samples should be run with TaqMan Copy Number Assays?
These assays target regions of variance that are found in genomic DNA.
Do I need to do a validation test before I use the ΔΔCt method to determine the copy number of the target gene?
If you are using our copy number assays and reference assays, this is not necessary.
Where can I get reference samples for TaqMan Copy Number Assays?
We recommend that you check the DGV (database of genomic variants) database for your CNV of interest. Not all regions of variance have control samples available, but if there are controls for your CNV, the DGV will list some Coriell sample ids. You can then order these control samples from Coriell.
What TaqMan Copy Number Assays are available now?
We have predesigned TaqMan Copy number assays for human and mouse, and we also have the Geneassist Copy number assay workflow builder tool that you may use to submit sequences for custom designed assays. Copy number variation experiments require a reference assay run in duplex with the target assay. We offer RNase P and TERT reference assays for human, and we offer Tfrc and TERT reference assays for mouse. The copy number assays are FAM-MGB labeled and the copy number reference assays are VIC-TAMRA labeled.