Estimation of genomic DNA contribution to RT-qPCR signal using −RT controls.

Quantitative PCR (qPCR) results obtained from reactions performed in the presence (+RT) or absence (−RT) of reverse transcriptase for 6 target genes. For +RT and −RT conditions, Cq values from three technical replicates (Cq1–Cq3) are shown along with the mean ± SD. The ΔCq value corresponds to the difference between −RT and +RT mean Cq values (ΔCq=(−RT) − (+RT)). Relative signal attributable to genomic DNA (gDNA) contamination was estimated as 2(-ΔCq). The contribution from −RT (%) represents the percentage of amplification signal arising from gDNA. NA indicates reactions with no detectable amplification. (XLSX)