Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26555275›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2015

With Reference to Reference Genes: A Systematic Review of Endogenous Controls in Gene Expression Studies.

Joanne R Chapman, Jonas Waldenström

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 192 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
192citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

192 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Selection of reference genes for quantitative PCR: identifying reference genes for airway epithelial cells exposed toAmerican journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology · 2020
    Pooled it
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  19. qPCR-Based Reference Gene Validation inCurrent issues in molecular biology · 2025
    Article
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132 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Joanne R ChapmanCentre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden.
Jonas WaldenströmCentre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The choice of reference genes that are stably expressed amongst treatment groups is a crucial step in real-time quantitative PCR gene expression studies. Recent guidelines have specified that a minimum of two validated reference genes should be used for normalisation. However, a quantitative review of the literature showed that the average number of reference genes used across all studies was 1.2. Thus, the vast majority of studies continue to use a single gene, with β-actin (ACTB) and/or glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) being commonly selected in studies of vertebrate gene expression. Few studies (15%) tested a panel of potential reference genes for stability of expression before using them to normalise data. Amongst studies specifically testing reference gene stability, few found ACTB or GAPDH to be optimal, whereby these genes were significantly less likely to be chosen when larger panels of potential reference genes were screened. Fewer reference genes were tested for stability in non-model organisms, presumably owing to a dearth of available primers in less well characterised species. Furthermore, the experimental conditions under which real-time quantitative PCR analyses were conducted had a large influence on the choice of reference genes, whereby different studies of rat brain tissue showed different reference genes to be the most stable. These results highlight the importance of validating the choice of normalising reference genes before conducting gene expression studies.

Indexed as

Gene ExpressionGenesAnimalsGene Expression ProfilingHumansMammalsReal-Time Polymerase Chain ReactionReference StandardsResearch DesignRNA, MessengerSpecimen HandlingStatistics, NonparametricTranscription, GeneticRNA, Messenger

Identifiers

PMID26555275
PMCPMC4640531

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.