Thromb Haemost 2013; 109(02): 337-346
DOI: 10.1160/TH12-04-0257
New Technologies, Diagnostic Tools and Drugs
Schattauer GmbH

Platelet genetic biomarker quantification: Comparison of fluorescent microspheres and PCR platforms

Erya Huang
1   Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, USA
,
Wei Zhu
1   Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, USA
,
Anil Dhundale
2   Long Island High Technology Incubator, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York, USA
7   Stony Brook Biotechnology LLC, Stony Brook, New York, USA
,
Wadie F. Bahou
3   Department of Medicine, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York, USA
4   Program in Genetics, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York, USA
5   Stony Brook Stem Cells Facility Center, Stony Brook, New York, USA
,
Dmitri V. Gnatenko
3   Department of Medicine, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York, USA
6   Genomics Core Facility, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York, USA
7   Stony Brook Biotechnology LLC, Stony Brook, New York, USA
› Author Affiliations
Financial support:This work was supported by grants R41RR03211201A1 (D.V.G.) and R01HL091939 (W.F.B., W.Z.) from National Institutes of Health, and NYSTEM grant #C024317 (W.F.B.).
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 24 April 2012

Accepted after major revision: 24 October 2012

Publication Date:
29 November 2017 (online)

Summary

The platelet transcriptome has been extensively characterised using distinct genetic profiling platforms, with evolving evidence for differential expression patterns between healthy individuals and subject cohorts with various haematologic and cardiovascular disorders. Traditional technological platforms for platelet genetic biomarker quantification have limited applicability for clinical molecular diagnostics due to inherent complexities related to RNA isolation and analysis. We have previously established the feasibility of fluorescent microspheres as a simple and reproducible strategy for simultaneous quantification of platelet mRNAs from small volume of blood using intact platelets. We now extend these observations by formally comparing in a 50-member normal cohort the cross-platform behaviour of fluorescent microspheres to the currently accepted Q-PCR standard, using a clinically relevant 15-biomarker gene subset able to discriminate among normal and thrombocytosis cohorts. When compared to Q-PCR, genetic biomarker quantification using fluorescent microspheres demonstrated lower coefficients of variation for low-abundant transcripts, better linearity in serially diluted samples, and good overall between-platform consistency via the geometric mean regression. Neither platform demonstrated age or gender effects for any of the 15 biomarkers studied. Binding site saturation for highly abundant transcripts using fluorescent microspheres can be readily eliminated using an optimal platelet number corresponding to 0.3 ml of peripheral blood, additionally applicable to thrombocytopenic cohorts. These data provide a detailed cross-platform analysis using a relevant biomarker subset, further highlighting the applicability of fluorescent microspheres as potentially superior to Q-PCR for platelet mRNA diagnostics.

 
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