Sensitive and specific method for detecting G protein-coupled receptor mRNAs

G protein-coupled receptors ( GPCRs) mediate effects of extracellular signaling molecules in all the body's cells. These receptors are encoded by scarce mRNAs; therefore, detecting their transcripts with conventional microarrays is difficult. We present a method based on multiplex PCR and array detection of amplicons to assay GPCR gene expression with as little as 1 mu g of total RNA, and using it, we profiled three human bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) lines. (c) 2007 Nature Publishing Group