Relative quantification of TCR Vbeta-chain families by real time PCR for identification of clonal T-cell populations

摘要

BackgroundQuantification of T-cell receptor (TCR) chain families can be utilized for detection of clonal T-cell populations. Besides southern blotting and antibody-based approaches, quantitative real time PCR (qRT PCR) has been more widely applied in this context during the last years. Here, the heterogeneity of sequences within single families is the most challenging problem for exact quantification.